Two Points for Honesty
by preciouseternity
Summary: In order to fool her family into thinking she has her life together, Elena asks Damon to pretend to be her committed boyfriend for her sister's wedding week. Can they pull it off? Or will their growing feelings for each other become disastrous for everyone? AU/AH
1. Uncharted

**Chapter One: Uncharted**

_"I'm already out of fool-proof ideas, so don't ask me how to get started."_

* * *

Elena sighed as she stood in line waiting to order her coffee. She had her phone pressed to her ear with her shoulder, and was struggling to pull her wallet out of her purse. Her sister was talking a mile a minute, making it insanely difficult to concentrate. This was what she got for answering her sister's phone call in public, she supposed. What was she supposed to do? Her phone had kept vibrating all through her run, she'd just assumed it was an emergency.

About halfway between 'Elijah' and 'woke up this morning,' Elena had stopped listening. She really wasn't in the mood to talk about her sister's committed boyfriend of five years. Not after she had broken up with her not-so-committed boyfriend of two weeks the night before. It wasn't that she was upset – the guy had turned out to be an ass – she was just angry with herself. She was twenty-seven. She should have it all figured out by now – marriage, children, a career. Instead, she worked in a bar every night and went out with seemingly good guys who just wanted to get into her pants.

Here was her baby sister, seriously dating this great guy at twenty-three. She had it all. She'd gotten a great job right out of college, she made two more figures than Elena, and she was probably going to be the first to have kids. Katherine's life was just perfect, and Elena's was perfectly. . .unfulfilling. Moving to New York with Caroline hadn't done anything but had her watch her best friend get married and deal with said best friend's new brother-in-law incessantly. She was miserable.

Before she could finagle her wallet out of her mess of a purse, she was up to order her coffee. She looked up distractedly at the waiting barista and ordered the first thing that came to her mind. "Regular coffee, medium," she requested as she finally got her wallet out into the open. The barista nodded and took the card Elena held out.

"Are you getting coffee?" Katherine asked, pulling Elena back into their conversation.

"Yeah, I had a rough night," Elena said as she took her card and receipt back from the barista and shoved them in a nondiscriminatory manner back into her purse. She stepped out of line to go wait in the pickup line. She swore if she had to wait in one more line today, she'd throw something out the window.

"What happened?" Katherine asked, trying to be considerate even though Elena knew she really didn't care. This entire time she'd been building up to something, and now Elena's drama was just a roadblock to that.

"It doesn't matter," Elena said quickly. "I know you want to tell me something. Spill."

At the same time the barista called out, "Medium regular coffee." Katherine said, "I'm getting married!"

Elena reached out distractedly to grab her coffee and almost dropped it in the process. Her mouth hung open in shock, and she stood at the front of the line, completely frozen, until the person behind her snapped at her to move. She almost yelled at the rude New Yorker, but decided against it. She just took her coffee and rushed to sit down at one of the empty tables.

"Say something!" Katherine said excitedly.

Elena swallowed the urge to hang up. She was happy for her sister, of course she was. This was just too much though. Right here, right now, her mind wasn't in a good place for her to talk about her baby sister getting married long before her. It was that moment she realized what a mess her life had become. The moment you realize your sister has far surpassed you in every way, shape, and form, is the moment you get the hell off the phone before you break down.

"I'm so happy for you," Elena said, trying as hard as she could not to convey how she was really feeling. "Really, Katherine. I am. We can talk more later, okay? I have to go do a couple things."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later! Love you!" Katherine said, making a dramatic smooching sound before disconnecting.

Elena slowly lowered the phone from her ear and placed it on the table. She focused on breathing – in and out, in and out – while staring at her cup of coffee. She jumped when a hand suddenly closed around it and lifted it from the table.

"Excuse-" she started, looking up to see who'd had the audacity to steal her drink from right in front of her face. Her eyes narrowed when she saw who it was. Of course. "What the hell, Damon?" she snapped. He sat down and made a face as he drank the coffee from her cup.

"Since when have you liked it black?" he asked, taking another sip.

Elena was fairly certain she'd never shared her preferences in coffee with him, but she decided to let that detail go. "Never." Her voice was begrudging, her eyes hard on his. She was definitely not in the mood for his antics today – or any day, but especially today.

"Then why order it?" he continued grilling her, while drinking what she had paid for.

"I was distracted," she told him, more annoyance seeping into her tone. She was hoping he'd get that she didn't want him here, but no such luck occurred. He just continued sitting and drinking her coffee, unbelievably oblivious to her sour mood. Elena suddenly had the overwhelming urge to smack him upside the head.

Just as she was about to reach across the table, her phone began to vibrate. She looked down at the caller ID and saw that it was it was her Great Aunt Kathleen calling. Groaning out loud, she took the phone in her hand and prepared to hear all about not being married yet, and then being asked if she was in a serious relationship yet, and then being told why she wasn't.

"You have to answer," Damon said matter-of-factly as he watched her battle with herself over whether or not it was worth it. "She could die soon," he told her, pointing at the 'Great Aunt' title on the contact information.

"You're an ass," Elena said, but answered it anyway. She quickly adjusted her tone and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

Her great aunt's voice came through small, but strong nonetheless. The woman was nearly ninety years old and was just as strong as she was twenty years ago. It was amazing. "Elena, darling," she said. "I heard the great news! You're getting married, how exciting!"

Elena had the serious urge to smack her head on the table. Damon caught onto her expression and hid his smile by taking another sip of coffee.

Gritting her teeth together, Elena prepared to tell her very traditional great aunt that she still wasn't getting married, her sister was. "Aunt Kathleen, I'm not getting married. That's Katherine."

There was silence on the other end for a moment and Elena braced herself. "I should call her then. Don't think we're done here, dear. We need to have a good, long talk about your choices."

With that, her aunt hung up, leaving Elena to thank God it didn't turn out to be a long monologue on what she was doing wrong with her life. Granted, that talk would probably come at some other inopportune time, but she was just glad it wasn't now.

"Thank wasn't too bad," Damon acknowledged with a smirk. "So, your sister's getting married? That must suck."

Elena took a deep breath and blew it out through her mouth. "It doesn't suck," she told him. "What sucks is that I'm twenty-seven and can't hold onto a guy for more than fourteen days, while she's going to be off planning her wedding for the next ten months."

Damon shrugged. "I'm not doing much better."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "That's because you choose not to do better. You like the incessant flow of girls through your bed every night. You can't tell me you don't." Her eyes challenged his and she grabbed her coffee from him and took a sip. It tasted bitter and disgusting, but she kept her face straight. Proving a point wouldn't work if she faltered.

"Of course I like it, Elena," he scoffed. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't ever settle down."

Elena shook her head and leaned back in her chair. "I just don't know what I'm going to do," she muttered. "I'm going to show up at my sister's wedding with not so much as a boyfriend and I will never hear the end of it. God, I just want to die in a hole right now."

Damon raised his eyebrows at her. "You're being a little melodramatic, Elena."

He was right. She was making this all about her, when in reality it should have been all about Katherine. Weddings weren't about the single sisters, they were about the happy brides. She just had to keep reminding herself of that. It wasn't about her getting compared to her sister for the thousandth time, it was about her little sister finding someone that made her happy. That was all. It was just remembering that amongst her own drama that was going to be hard.

"I'm such a bitch," she groaned and leaned forward, resting her forehead on her arms.

"No," Damon consoled her. "Only to me, but that doesn't count. I felt the same way when Stefan got married before me. Although, to a much lesser extent. It was a little embarrassing is all."

"Why are you being nice to me?" Elena asked him. She'd been nothing but rude to him since the day they'd met. In all fairness, he usually wasn't any nicer to her, but still. She didn't deserve his kindness, especially with all the selfishness swirling through her head right now. She didn't deserve anyone's kindness.

Damon shrugged. "I know we don't like each other, but I figured being mean to you right now would just be rude."

"That's never stopped you before," Elena challenged, placing her chin on her arms and looking up at him.

"Maybe I don't feel like fighting with you today," he leveled. "Can we move on?"

Elena sat up and crossed her arms over her chest. There was always something about Damon that rubbed her the wrong way. Whether it was his arrogance, or sense of humor, or ability to basically read her mind when it came to feelings, it just all bugged her. For two years she'd known the man, and in all that time she'd never once considered him _kind_. That was exactly what he was being right now, though. He wasn't antagonizing her, or telling her what she felt, or making some gross sexual joke. He was just talking to her and being a decent human being. She never thought she'd see the day.

Damon looked at her curiously for a moment, trying to pinpoint exactly what she was thinking. "I can do it, you know," he said with a smirk.

"You can do what, Damon?"

"I can pretend to be your boyfriend when your sister gets married."

Elena stared at him incredulously. "You have got to be kidding me," she said before she could stop herself. "Damon Salvatore doesn't do _favors _for anybody."

His eyes narrowed. "He does them for Elena Gilbert," he said seriously. "Listen, I don't want to have to hear you whine about this for the next however many months until her wedding. I'll pretend to be your date, we'll go to this thing and then we can go back to hating each other. Problem solved."

"No," Elena said, standing. "Did you miss the part where we don't like each other? We'd never pull it off. I'll find an actual boyfriend, thank you."

She brushed past him and exited the coffee shop. She ignored her phone as it rang, knowing it was him, and began down the street toward Caroline's apartment. Her fingers were tight on her phone as it vibrated again. She didn't bother to look down before she picked up.

"Look – Damon," she started. She was going to attempt to explain to him that it was an awful idea. A fake relationship between them would be as bad as a real one, and she just couldn't handle that right now. She wasn't mad about the idea, but she was put off that he thought she needed a fake date before she even tried to find a real one.

"Um, it's Katherine," Katherine's voice came through. "But I am interested to find out who Damon is. Do you have a boyfriend you haven't told me about, Elena?"

Elena groaned and kept walking. Of course she would make a mistake like that. She was always getting herself into these kinds of situations – the ones where people thought she was doing something that she wasn't, proceeded to get excited, and then completely disappointed in her when they found out they'd been wrong. It was getting ridiculous.

"Damon is Caroline's brother-in-law," Elena said, jogging through the line of stalled taxis on Broadway. One honked at her for no apparent reason, but she just brushed it off. Sometimes, honking was seen as flirting. Gross, sweaty, taxi driver flirting.

"Well, that doesn't mean there's nothing going on there! Your turn to spill."

Elena stepped up onto the curb and looked around for any excuse to get off the phone. She'd already made a lame excuse not an hour ago, and now she wanted to make another one? Her sister skills needed work. "Nothing's going on, Kat," Elena assured her, picking up her pace so she could get to Caroline's and off the phone faster. "He's an ass."

"Is he hot?"

Elena rolled her eyes. Of course, that would be the first question on her mind after hearing he was an asshole. It didn't matter to Katherine what a guy was like, as long as he was attractive. She was surprised she was marrying a nice guy – the first nice guy she'd ever dated.

"Yeah," Elena said honestly. Because Damon _was_ hot. She'd be lying if she said she'd never thought about sleeping with him in the two years they'd known each other. She may not have liked him as a person, but she sure as hell was attracted to him.

"Sleep with him then! Girl, you need to get laid. I can sense it from here."

"It's not that simple, Katherine," Elena told her. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Well, since you so rudely hung up, I'm calling to tell you that you'll be my maid of honor. And that means that you'll have to handle the wedding alone for a while until I can get the time off to come up there and help you get every situated."

Elena blinked. She knew she'd be maid of honor, but she didn't know she'd be doing all the planning alone. "Have you set the date?"

"June twenty-first at this gorgeous resort on Maui," Katherine said gleefully.

Elena's eyes widened and she stopped suddenly, resulting in the person behind her to nearly run into her. "Katherine, that's four months away," she enunciated. "Are you crazy? I can't do all the planning for a _you_ wedding by then alone! Especially if it's going to be in Hawaii."

"I believe in you," Katherine said. "I'll send you my color scheme and vision. You have perfect taste, and if I don't like something we'll fix it. Everything will be fine."

Katherine hung up, leaving Elena to stare at her phone in dismay. She'd planned Caroline's wedding, but she'd had Caroline looking over her shoulder constantly. Planning a wedding completely by herself for however long until Katherine could get up to New York sounded like nothing short of hell.

With a sigh, Elena quickly hurried for Caroline's.

"Katherine's getting married," Elena said, after going to Caroline's kitchen and retrieving a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "She wants me to do all the planning until she can get up here to help."

"Well, that ought to be fun," Caroline said, leaning against her counter. "She's not as big of a control freak as me. "

Elena took a sip of water and nodded slowly. "You're right. It's just. . . it's so soon. The date is in four months. I don't have time for this."

Caroline smiled. "You don't have time to plan this wedding, or you don't have time to find a stable boyfriend to bring home to your family who all expect you to have one?"

Elena groaned. "Both? I don't know Caroline. Is it even worth it? I mean, whatever I do I'm going to do it wrong. It doesn't really matter if they think I'm seeing someone or not. If I was, they'd probably hate him anyway."

"What do you mean if they _think_ you're seeing someone. If you bring a guy to her wedding, you will be seeing him. Right?" Caroline looked at her suspiciously, catching onto her strange wording. Elena gritted her teeth together. She just needed to keep her mouth shut. This was her best friend, though and she hoped she wouldn't judge her too badly for even entertaining the thought.

"Damon offered to pretend to be my boyfriend. Just so no one would be nagging me the entire time," Elena admitted, shrinking a little bit. If Elena didn't like Damon, Caroline hated him. The only person who wasn't aware of her loathing was Stefan, who was able to stay blissfully unaware of Caroline and Damon's more than unfriendly relationship. Everyone else, however, knew to avoid Damon in any conversation with her.

"Elena," she hissed. "You aren't considering it are you?"

"No, of course not! But if I can't find anyone by then, I might have to start."

Caroline shook her head. "Don't worry, Elena. We are going to find you someone, and that someone is not going to be my rotten brother-in-law. I will not allow that to happen."

Elena took a deep breath. If anyone could play matchmaker, it was Caroline. "I'll only let you play matchmaker if you help plan this wedding."

Caroline smiled. "Deal."

_A/N: There you have it, chapter one. If you made it to the author's note, I am proud! I think it's a little all over the place, but things will definitely be cleared up and elaborated on in future chapters. If you have anything you specifically want to know, go ahead and drop it in the reviews (along with what you thought of the entire thing, of course) Reviews are my life source! Anyway, I hope you guys liked it!_


	2. Fire

_A/N: I don't want there to be any confusion, but I changed the title. I just feel like it fits the story a lot better and yeah. I hope you guys like it :) And thank you all for the great response to chapter one! I was super nervous about it, so I'm glad you all liked it. Here's chapter two!_

* * *

**Chapter Two: Fire**

_"Now I'm walking in, walking into fire_

_I'm walking into fire with you."_

* * *

"I'm done," Elena said as she used a rag to clean a spot on the shot glass she was holding. "I am one hundred percent done with this blind dating thing."

"Oh come on, Elena," Caroline whined, pushing herself up onto the bar and pouting. "He wasn't _that _bad! He's in my comparative literature class, so you know he's got half a brain."

The date itself hadn't been bad, but the guy had just been too smart. He seemed to take pleasure engaging her in conversations that went completely over her head, and correcting her when she was wrong. She'd stared at him in complete confusion half the time. She was smart, she'd gone to college and gotten a degree in literature and English, but when someone started talking chemistry she drew the line.

"Seemed more like a science guy," Elena said, putting the glass in its place beneath the bar. "It doesn't matter anyway, Care. It's been two months and fifteen dates. I'm convinced there is no one in the city for me."

Caroline's eyebrows rose. "You're too picky," she accused. "Elena, every single time it's _oh, he's not charming enough _or _oh, he's not challenging enough _or _oh, he makes me want to tear my eyes out with my fingernails_. I know for a fact that the majority of those guys would have gone on a second date with you."

"So what if I'm picky? I don't want to bring just anyone to meet my family. He has to be perfect." Elena leaned against the bar.

"Damon's perfect?" Caroline asked, her eyes accusing.

Elena pulled back from the bar, shocked at Caroline's bluntness. She should have expected it, though. In all the years she'd known her best friend, subtlety had never been her strongest character trait. "I never said that," Elena defended, crossing her arms over her chest. "When did I ever say that?"

"I know you're starting to actually consider asking him to the wedding, and that means you approve of your family meeting him, and _that_ means you think he's perfect." Caroline's logic made total sense, but Elena held adamancy that she was wrong.

"Damon is not perfect," Elena told her sharply. "But he can act. We know that for sure. I've been told our make-out at your birthday party two years ago was very hot. Not that I can remember, but I assume he had to be acting like a tolerable human being for it to happen."

"You were wasted, Elena," Caroline reminded her. "I don't think he had to be doing anything for you to jump him."

"Regardless, obviously I can't find any semblance of a good man, so what's the harm in pretending for a couple months? After the wedding, I say we broke up and we go separate ways. I don't see an issue anymore."

Initially, she had been concerned about the thought of even pretending to date Damon, but after she gave more thought she realized it didn't really matter. He'd have to act decent to her and her family and he wouldn't be allowed to pull the usual stuff he did. If he was acting like her boyfriend, he'd have to act like an actual boyfriend. It might even make him bearable for once.

"It's a bad idea, Elena. Fake Damon is still Damon, and he has the uncanny ability to make people of the opposite sex fall hard. I've seen him do it time and time again, and every time the girl ends up with a broken heart and tub full of Ben & Jerry's."

"I am not going to fall for Damon," Elena laughed. "God, just the thought." She pretend shuddered. "Honestly, my life becomes a thousand times easier if I do this. I won't have to go on these ridiculous dates anymore, I can just focus all my attention on the wedding. That's exactly where it needs to be right now."

She cringed at the thought of how far behind she had gotten on the planning. Caroline was handling most of it, which Elena felt bad about; but how was it her fault if Caroline was forcing her on dates every night? Now she was done with that and she could just focus on making the day perfect for her sister.

"I'm just warning you, Elena. Be careful with him. He's dangerous and I don't want to see you get hurt for something like this."

Elena patted her friend's knee. "Caroline, I promise I will be careful. Now, get your ass down and help me set up, will you?"

Three and a half hours later the Saturday night crowd was in full force. The bar was double lined with patrons looking for a drink, the music pounded so loudly that sometimes Elena would have to ask for an order two or three times before finally understanding. She turned down about twenty marriage proposals, and several more drinks. The tips flowed in like crazy. Perks of working in a popular night bar always included horny, drunk men with fat wallets.

While mixing a drink for a young blonde girl and her friend, someone caught Elena's attention at the opposite side of the bar. She quickly handed the girl her drink and then skipped her way over to Caroline's side.

"Wrong side of the bar," Caroline sing-songed over the music. Her eyes skated toward Damon, who waved mockingly with his fingers. Elena looked him in the eyes, letting him know she was coming over there to talk to him.

"Ten minutes," Elena begged. "I just need to talk to him."

"You are so glad I'm nice," Caroline said, quickly jogging over to Elena's side of the bar and tending to the slightly annoyed patrons there.

Elena quickly fixed a drink for a guy in a Yankees jersey before moving her way over toward Damon. His eyes never left her, but they did travel down her body, evidently appreciating the tight jeans and tank top that was her uniform. When she stopped in front of his spot at the bar, she snapped her fingers in front of his face to get him to look up at her.

"Nice, Damon," she said. When he looked at her expectantly, she continued. "We need to talk," she shouted over the music. He pointed to his ear and then shrugged, signaling that he couldn't hear her. She sighed and leaned forward over the bar, bringing her face uncomfortably close to his. "I need to talk to you."

"Then talk," he replied in her ear, his breath sending tiny sparks through her nerves.

As she was about to tell him that they need to talk _later_, a piercing shriek erupted to her right. Elena stood up straight, looking for the source of the noise, and found her sister staring at her from across the bar. Katherine had a huge smile plastered on her face, her arms extended into the air. Elena's eyes bulged at the sight of her sister. Katherine had told her she'd be there in three weeks, but here she was.

Elena leaned across the bar and hugged her sister tightly. "What are you doing here?" she shouted.

"Thought I'd surprise you," Katherine replied, fluttering her eyelashes as the guy next to her right, effectively getting him to give her his seat. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the man on her left, the same man Elena had just been talking to. "Well, well, well," Katherine clucked. "Who might we have here?"

Damon smirked and leaned closer to her. "Name's Damon," he told her, his eyes on Elena.

Katherine looked at Elena. "_The_ Damon? The same one you told me was an ass three months ago? And now your whispering in each other's ears. How fascinating."

Of course if must have looked that way to someone on the outside. In reality, they'd just been trying to hear each other – she hoped. Either way, thanks to Katherine's early arrival, she'd be dropping the bomb that Damon was her boyfriend tonight whether he knew it or not. She was actually starting to feel bad for the guy.

"You're right. He is hot," Katherine said, her eyes scanning Damon appreciatively.

"Don't feed his ego," Elena told her. "I have to go work, so, Damon, please behave yourself. And Katherine, please don't get too drunk."

Damon smirked at her knowingly and Katherine agreed. Leaving them alone together was going to be a very bad idea that she knew she was going to inevitably regret, but the customers were getting antsy. She quickly jogged over to her side and took Caroline by the shoulders from behind. The girl nearly dropped the drink she was pouring out of surprise.

"Elena, don't do that!" she shouted with a laugh, handing the martini to a young girl.

"Keep an eye on Katherine and Damon," Elena told her. "She may be getting married, but Damon's Damon."

"Katherine's here?" Caroline's eyes widened. "But we're not even close to being ready with everything! And – wouldn't Damon making out with her screw this entire thing?"

Elena nodded and pushed her friend toward her side of the bar. "Yes, yes, and yes. Just go, we'll talk about all this after close."

When Caroline was gone, Elena turned back to all the patrons waiting for a drink. "I am so sorry about that, so I'm going to have a little game. Whoever can guess my age gets a drink on me," she placed her hands on her hips and smiled tantalizingly as people started throwing random ages out into the air. The youngest she heard was seventeen – which made absolutely no sense whatsoever – and the oldest was thirty-three which she resented.

"Twenty-seven," someone shouted out. Elena's eyes searched for the source and then fell on Stefan who had just pushed his way to the bar.

"Hey," she said. "That's not fair!"

"I guessed, give me my drink!" he demanded playfully. "Whisky."

Elena began to pour the drink. "Game's over everyone," Elena shouted, raising the glass above her head before handing it to her best friend's husband. "Caroline's on the other side," she told him. "Damon's over there, too. Just a warning."

Stefan and Damon hadn't been getting along lately, or so she'd heard from Caroline. She guessed Stefan was getting sick of Damon's attitude and just wanted him to be pleasant, but Damon maintained that wasn't him – or something like that. Honestly, the further she could keep herself out of Salvatore drama, the better. The boys weren't exactly known for civility in family issues, and typically their arguments affected everyone around them. Even Caroline's bouncy mood was occasionally affected by Damon and Stefan's arguments.

Stefan leaned over the bar and looked down toward the other side. "Oh, there she is. It's impossible to see over all these people." He shook his head and smiled. "Thanks, Elena."

"No problem," she replied, and then began taking orders from all the waiting people.

She was insanely busy the rest of the night. The karma gods were getting her back for all the socialization earlier, she guessed. She'd prefer karma to her boss, though, so it was fine. By the end of the night, the smile on her face seemed plastered on. She couldn't even feel her cheeks. Mentally, she cursed the company policy of friendliness. It was two AM and the idea of being nice to people she didn't even know wasn't appealing.

"No more drinks," she shouted. It was two, which left an hour until close. She had to give the drunk people time to sober up before sending them back out into the world – not that an hour was going to do much good – company policy dictated, though.

The patrons offered a few grumbled and then most of them left the bar. Elena ran a rag over the bar, cleaning up the spilled alcohol and cracked nuts as she went. She looked over and saw Caroline and Stefan whispering in each other's ears while Damon and Katherine seemed to be having a perfectly pleasant conversation. Thank God.

Damon's eyes met hers and he stood from his seat. The next thing she knew, he was seated in front of her, a curious grin on his lips. "I didn't know I was your boyfriend, _baby_."

"I was going to tell you that I was going to take you up on your offer earlier, but then Katherine showed up. Please, tell me you didn't screw this up for me." Elena closed her eyes for a second, silently praying he had at least not hit on Katherine. Leaving them alone together had been a very, very bad idea. She knew it before he could even say anything.

"After fifteen very unsuccessful dates, I assumed you were coming to me for this anyway. Trust me, Katherine thinks I'm her sister's golden boyfriend of three months." Damon's voice was smug, as per usual.

Elena opened one eye and looked at him cautiously. "You mean you pulled it off?"

"Have a little faith," he told her with a smirk. "I have your back, Elena."

Elena stared at him. Since when did Damon Salvatore have her back? What changed? Six months ago he would have laughed her onto the street. Hell, he would have laughed her halfway to Neptune. Now he was almost tripping over himself to help her. Elena was suspicious to say the least.

"Elena," Katherine cried, running up and launching herself onto the bar. She slipped onto her butt and slid down onto the side of the bar she wasn't supposed to be on. Katherine was definitely drunk, Elena realized as she threw her arms around her and held on for dear life. Elena shot Caroline an accusatory glance.

"I'm sorry," Caroline said, coming over to Elena's side of the bar. "I wasn't really paying attention to how much she was drinking."

"I am not that drunk," Katherine maintained, letting go of Elena and leaning back against the rows of alcohol.

"She's right, Elena," Damon said, drawing her attention back to him. "She only _tried_ to make out with me. Drunk girls almost always succeed."

Elena took the glass of bourbon he had in front of him and downed it. "She's getting married," she told him harshly.

"I didn't try to make out with him," Katherine said lazily, grabbing a bottle of tequila from the shelf behind her and attempting to open it. Caroline quickly took it and gave her a warning look. "I'm just a little buzzed. It's New York City! What else am I supposed to do?"

Elena didn't really have an argument. Katherine had spent her entire life in Mystic Falls. She wasn't really accustomed to the big city life, so when she came to New York to visit, she usually took full advantage of everything the city had to offer. That included everything from night life, to shopping, to men. Now that men were off limits, Elena fully expected Katherine to compensate by kicking the other two up a notch.

"I don't get off for another couple hours," Elena told Katherine, fishing for her purse under the bar. She grabbed her wallet and pulled out a couple twenties. "Take a cab back to my apartment, use your key. I'll be home around three-thirty."

Katherine grabbed the money from her sister's hand and pouted. "You're no fun."

"It's dry hour anyway," Elena reminded her, leading her out of the bar area. "I'll be cleaning up soon. That's what's no fun."

"Fine," Katherine said with a shrug. "I'll just have a party in your apartment."

Elena rolled her eyes. The last time she checked, she had half a bottle of tequila and no limes. It wouldn't be much of a party. "You do that. I'll see you later, Kat. Be careful!" Katherine disappeared into the dissipating crowd before she could finish speaking. With a shake of her head, she headed back to the bar.

"Are you mad she showed up?" Caroline, who was now on the other side of the bar being hugged from behind by Stefan, asked.

Elena glanced at Damon, who was looking immensely annoyed by either his brother's presence or the lack of alcohol in his hand – or possibly both.

"No, I'm not mad," she said as the music turned off and the lights came on. She stopped, adjusted her volume, and continued. "It was just a little surprising, is all. It kind of forced this whole thing to happen a little quickly." She motioned between her and Damon with her finger. "I guess I can figure it out though."

"It's nice seeing someone using Damon for once. He could use a taste of his own medicine," Stefan said bitterly, obviously not caring that his brother was less than two feet away.

Damon's jaw twitched, and Elena could tell he was fighting the urge to lay his brother out. To Elena's surprise, he didn't retaliate with some snarky comment. Instead he looked at her and began talking. "Do you have someone to walk you home after you close?" he asked her.

Before Elena could be too shocked by Damon's uncharacteristic act of chivalry, Stefan scoffed loudly. Caroline ribbed him with her elbow in warning, but Damon was already turning around in his seat. "Really, Stefan?" Damon snapped. "Is there something you want to say to me privately? I'm getting kind of tired of your input every five seconds."

"Maybe there is," Stefan said, his voice tight.

Damon rolled his eyes and pushed off the bar stool. "God, you are such a child," he muttered before moving away from the bar. Stefan let go of Caroline and followed. Elena could feel the tension in the air. Being anywhere near Salvatore drama was never her idea of fun.

"What's going on?" she asked Caroline quietly. She watched the brothers out of the corner of her eye. Damon looked angrier than she'd ever seen him as he listened to whatever Stefan had to say. Whatever this was, it wasn't just a brotherly tiff.

Caroline took a seat and sighed. "I'm not sure. I know Stefan's been pissed at Damon for a few days now. Things have been tense, and he won't tell me why. I think it has to do with their dad."

Elena pressed her lips together. She hadn't exactly taken a lot of time trying to get to know Damon. She'd been attempting to keep her distance for quite a while now, so their interactions mainly consisted of him bugging her and her trying to make him go away. Even though she knew nothing about his early life – and didn't care to learn – she knew his relationship with his father sucked. Caroline had filled her in on that front, telling her what a douche Damon was for refusing to see his dad even though he was terminally ill, and not telling her why.

"You think he's dying?" Elena asked her, peeling her eyes away from the brothers. "Like, for real this time?"

Caroline shrugged. "Honestly, Elena, I don't know. Stefan refuses to talk about it, but it's only thing I can think of." She shook her head. "Damon's not the only one not on solid ground with his father. Stefan hates him, too. Damon's just too self-involved to see that Stefan's on his side."

Both girls jumped as a loud crash erupted through the still air. Elena looked around, figuring one of the maintenance guys had dropped something. Instead, she saw Damon lying on the ground, his hand holding his nose.

"Stefan!" Caroline shrieked, running toward her husband and grabbing him by the arm. She tugged him away from Damon harshly and began speaking lowly in his ear.

Elena launched herself onto the bar and over it. She held a hand up to stop Jackson, another worker at the bar, from coming over to investigate. Kneeling down next to Damon, she helped him sit up. As soon as he was up, she regretted it. Blood began pouring from his nose, staining everything it could find. Her stomach did a little flip. Blood wasn't really her thing.

"_Fuck_," she heard him mutter under his breath.

"Here, let me get a rag or something," she said, pushing off the ground and running to grab the cloth on the bar.

"Stefan and I are going to head home," Caroline told her as Stefan was already almost out the door. "I'll call you later."

"Okay, Care," Elena said with a smile that didn't even come close to reaching her eyes. "Talk to you later."

Once Caroline and Stefan were gone, Elena made her way over to Damon who had moved himself into the closest chair. He was leaned forward, bleeding all over the floor. Elena suddenly felt sorry for him. She had no clue what he had said to solicit such a hit, but she could tell by the way he had been acting that he hadn't wanted a fight. And that was exactly what he had gotten.

"Here," Elena murmured, handing him the rag and pulling another chair so it was directly in front of him. He took the rag from her but didn't look up to meet her eyes. "What did you say?" she asked softly. She tried to make her voice as understanding as possible, but with him it was hard not being accusatory.

"I'm the one with the broken nose and you're blaming me?" he asked, finally meeting her gaze. "Seems pretty accurate, I guess."

Elena leaned forward and took the bloodied rag from him. She gently pressed it against his skin, wincing when he did. "I'm not blaming you, Damon," she sighed. "It's just – this is what you do. You force people to hate you by acting all. . . superior. I know for a fact Stefan is sick of it. A lot of people are."

"You have no clue why he hit me," Damon insisted, taking the rag back from her and leaning back into the chair. "And you don't need to have one."

"Fine. We can talk about something else then." Elena relented grudgingly. "Can you at least tell me why you're being so nice? First doing this favor for me, and then offering to walk me home. It's not. . . you."

Damon somehow smirked beneath the blood. "I didn't offer to walk you home. I asked you someone else was." When she gave him a pointed look, he dropped the act. "I don't have a lot of friends, Elena. I want to change that, starting with you."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Why me?"

"Why not?"

"I swear to God, Damon. If you are trying to get into my pants, things will not turn out so pleasant for you." She'd seen enough of Damon antics to know he'd screwed just about every female friend he'd ever had the pleasure of coming across. She wasn't about to be added to that list. She'd rather go to the wedding alone and face her judgmental family.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Believe it or not, I actually respect you enough _not_ to treat you like a random chick I met at a bar. You just need to trust me, Elena. I don't have an evil agenda this time."

"Friends?" Elena asked cautiously.

"Friends," Damon confirmed.

"No hidden agendas?"

"Nope."

Elena bit her lip. Ever since that first night at her friend's party, she'd had major doubts about him. She'd been drunk and would've had sex with him had Caroline not accidentally barged in on them and chewed Damon a new one. Elena may not remember the incident herself, but she sure heard about it from Caroline enough. Whenever she ever got any doubts about Damon's character, she was reminded of the time Damon had tried to take advantage of a very drunk version of her. That usually was enough to make her realize he definitely wasn't any shade of a good guy, but this time it was quite having the same effect. Maybe friendship with him wouldn't be so bad. Especially if he was willing to do big favors for her in return.

"Fine," Elena said, finally meeting his ridiculously blue eyes. "We can take a shot at being friends."

It took a good twenty minutes for Damon's nose to stop bleeding, but after it did, Elena clocked out for both her and Caroline and they left the bar. It took Damon a while, but he finally convinced her to let him walk her home.

"I walk home alone all the time, Damon," she said when they were about halfway to her apartment. "I don't need a babysitter."

"I can easily stop being nice to you," he retorted. "Just say the word and I'll go back to fighting with you over everything and making your life difficult."

Elena pressed her lips together and kept walking. It was cool and the wind raised goose bumps on her flesh. Damon kept looking over at her, slight concern in his eyes. She suddenly had the suspicion that if he had had a jacket with him, he would have given it to her. The idea made her uncomfortable – almost as uncomfortable as the idea of real friendship with him.

When they reached her apartment building, she spun around to face him. The look on her face was hard, her hands clenched by her sides. "You understand why I don't trust you, right?"

Damon smirked at her. "Of course." He took a step closer to her, making her body tense at the proximity. She swallowed as her eyes scanned over his face, down the body that was unfortunately covered by clothing. She tried not to imagine what his skin looked like under that t-shirt and failed. What was getting into her? "I'm going to prove you wrong, Elena. Starting with this wedding thing. You might even forget we're pretending."

With that, he turned and walked down the street. She watched him go, her stomach clenching nervously. It was just a matter of time until she was over her head, she knew it.

_A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm trying to space out everything, so more into their past is on its way I promise! (Including a flashback to their first meeting) This is the biggest time jump I'll be doing for now, so all the stuff from this point to the wedding will be documented. Don't forget to review, loves! _


	3. Breakable

_A/N: I know the updates have been super quick, but here's another chapter! It's pretty long (a few hundred words over 6,000, which is insane) so I hope it doesn't disappoint! Enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter Three: Breakable**

"_So it's fairly simple to cut right through the mess,_

_And to stop the muscle that makes us confess."_

* * *

Elena woke with a start and found her sister sitting on the edge of her bed filing her nails. She flipped onto her back and rubbed at her eyes. It was like this every time Katherine came to visit. The first morning, she'd come wake Elena at a much too early hour and force her to go do something like shop when what she really wanted to do was sleep.

"What time is it?" Elena groaned.

"Seven thirty," Katherine replied, her eyes sliding from her nails down to her sister.

Katherine looked fresh and showered and definitely not hung over. Maybe she had been telling the truth the night before when she said she wasn't drunk. The girl could hold her liquor, that was for sure. Gilberts were notoriously good at that.

"I got home at four in the morning, Katherine," Elena whined, turning over onto her stomach and burying her face in her soft pillows. "Let me sleep."

"Yeah about that! You said you were going to be home at three thirty, but you walked in a little past four, that leaves a half an hour unaccounted for. Which _means_ you had a little fun with that hot boyfriend of yours. Seriously sis, _nice_. Damn, if I wasn't taken and he wasn't yours. . ."

Elena's eyes flew open at the glancing mention of Damon. This was the moment she had to suck up whatever her personal thoughts of him were and act like her life depended on it. If she couldn't convince her sister she was seeing Damon, she sure as hell wouldn't be able to convince anyone else in her family.

"He got in a fight with his brother," Elena told her, not raising her face from her pillows. "I stayed with him until he stopped bleeding and then he walked me home."

Katherine seemed to mull over that for a while. She was silent for so long that Elena was forced to push onto her side and look up at her sister who was now filing away at her fingernails again. "What?" Elena demanded. Katherine's silence in a conversation typically signaled something wrong. If Elena had a dollar for every time Katherine went quiet in one of their conversations she'd never have to work again.

"Nothing," Katherine claimed, her voice climbing about an octave, and she narrowed her eyes at a particularly rough spot on her nail.

Elena sighed and lifted herself onto her elbows. "I know you have something to say, so why don't you just say it?"

Katherine dropped her hands and looked over at Elena. "It's just that he's just like every other guy you've ever dated – damaged goods, broken. He may be fun for a while, but trust me, guys like that will always put their issues before you."

Elena sat up and scrunched her eyebrows. "Damon isn't broken," she told Katherine, her voice coming out a little more sharply than she had intended.

Katherine's eyebrows shot up. "I talked to the guy for like ten minutes and I can tell he's just about as broken as they come. You can't tell me you haven't seen that in the _three months_ you've been dating him."

Elena balked at the suspicious look Katherine was aiming at her. "I guess I just don't like to think about it. We have fun together, it's not really about any of that yet." she shrugged, trying not to betray the fact that she had never really cared to learn anything about his problems. She then made a mental note to learn as much about him as she could. It wasn't that she particularly wanted to, but it would make this arrangement a whole lot easier if she did.

Katherine nodded. "Be careful, Elena," Katherine warned. Elena fell back onto her pillows. She was so tired of the warnings. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't stupid. It was Damon – being careful kind of came with the territory. "Oh, and you might want to get up. Caroline called, she should be over in a few minutes. Lots of wedding stuff to do today!" Katherine's voice tilted up at the end in excitement. It sent annoyed shivers through Elena's tired veins. She was definitely not a morning person. By this point, Katherine should have learned.

When Katherine left her room and closed the door behind her, Elena flipped over and screamed into her pillow. The number one way she didn't want to be woken up was with Damon talk. Especially at seven thirty in the morning. Especially when it was followed up with 'lots of wedding stuff to do.' It was too damn early for this.

It took her ten minutes, but she finally dragged herself out of bed and got ready. Well, ready was more of a relative term. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and tied her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She didn't even bother with makeup, it was just Caroline.

Elena exited her room and found her sister and best friend fawning over the bridal magazines Caroline had evidently brought with her. At this point, Katherine should have just made Caroline her maid of honor since she was doing most of the planning anyway.

"Hey, Elena," Caroline greeted brightly, jumping to her feet and running over to grab the cup of café coffee she had brought. "I know you had a late night with Damon, so this is for you!"

Elena smiled. "Not much later than you and Stefan," she said, taking the coffee from her friend. "Thanks."

"How was he? You know, after?" Caroline's voice didn't hold any concern, just curiosity. As much as she knew Caroline hated when the brothers fought, she'd never feel bad for Damon. He'd burned that bridge a long time ago.

Elena shrugged. "He bled a lot, but he was fine. He didn't really seem mad either, which was weird." She hadn't noticed it the night before, because she was too preoccupied by the blood and then the 'friends' proposition, but Damon had seemed pretty calm about the entire thing. Normally, he would have gotten up and given it right back to Stefan. He had stayed down, let Stefan leave without another incident, and didn't even seem to be boiling with anger like was characteristic. The entire situation had just been strange.

Caroline shrugged. "I know Stefan is really pissed. He won't tell me what Damon said. He can't even say his name without his fists going white. It's bad, Elena." She glanced over at Katherine who still had her eyes glued to the magazine. "You might want to talk to Damon about it, try to get him to understand."

"Understand what, Caroline?" Elena asked cautiously, taking a sip from the coffee cup. She didn't even understand what was going on, so how was she supposed to get Damon to? It wasn't like she was his real girlfriend, she couldn't just make everything okay. Nor would she try, because that wasn't her place.

"I'll tell you later," Caroline whispered. "But if anyone will get through to him, it's you."

Elena blinked. She couldn't tell if Caroline was saying these things to play along with the rouse, or if she was being serious. The look in her eyes told Elena the latter, and that worried her. Damon had never listened to her – not once – in two years. If he had, they wouldn't even associate with each other.

Katherine suddenly shot up from the couch, causing Caroline and Elena to jump in surprise.

"We have to go!" she shrieked, gathering her jacket from the armrest of the couch.

"Where?" Elena asked.

"Dress fitting," Caroline replied. "What you're wearing is fine, we don't have time for you to change."

Elena looked down at herself. "Can I at least put on makeup?"

Katherine was suddenly in front of her, grabbing her hands and pulling her across the room toward the door. "Nope. We have to go. The appointment is in ten minutes and we were supposed to be there early."

Katherine ushered Elena the rest of the way out of the apartment and Caroline followed, locking the door behind her with Elena's key which she had taken from the counter. In the elevator, Elena looked between Katherine and Caroline. The two had never really been friends, Katherine had just been Elena's kid sister who they sometimes too along with them to shop, but never had Caroline been more in the loop about Katherine's stuff than Elena. It made Elena realize what a bad sister she'd been lately. She'd been so wrapped up in dating and not being judged by her family, that she completely forgot to actually be a sister. She should have been happier when Katherine showed up the night before. Instead, she spent the entire evening worrying that Damon would mess it up. It didn't help that this morning all she had done was get mad at Katherine for waking her up. Things needed to change and she silently vowed she would start putting her sister first again.

The girls arrived at the wedding shop with two minutes to spare, completely out of breath from running. Elena knew how things worked at this particular store, if someone was late, they lost their appointment. Immediately, no exceptions. She thought it was kind of ridiculous, but she supposed the most famous bridal shop in New York City had a right to do whatever they wanted.

"Ladies, hello" said an older, very prim employee in greeting. "Last name of the appointment holder?"

Katherine stepped forward and smiled. "Gilbert."

"Just in time," the woman said with a tight smile. "My name is Julie, why don't you all come on back?"

The girls followed Julie back through the showing rooms. They swerved around racks of dresses and avoided the women with happy tears in their eyes on the stages. Just when Elena thought the shop was never going to end, they came to a set of frosted double doors. The woman pushed through them, and held them open for Katherine, Elena and Caroline.

"We have your fitting rooms set up," Julie told them. "Go ahead in and someone will be in to help you shortly."

"Thank you," Elena said and then turned to Katherine when Julie left. "_Rooms_?" Last time she had checked, only one of them was getting married.

"You two have to try on your bridesmaid's dresses," Katherine said matter-of-factly. "Now get in there! I want to see how they look!" She then ran into the little room with the name 'Katherine' written on the whiteboard.

Elena leaned toward Caroline. "One," she whispered. "Since when have you been one of my little sister's bridesmaids? Two, I never looked at any dresses, so these better not be hideous. And three, what the hell is going on with Damon and Stefan that I should know about?"

Caroline sighed. "One, since she found out I was the one doing most of the planning. Two, I haven't seen them either; this was all Katherine. Three, can we please just wait until we're alone to talk about this?"

Elena blew a breath out through her nose. "Yeah, yeah, of course. You do have to tell me, though. No stalling, okay?"

"No, Elena, this isn't stalling. Like I said, Stefan and I think it would be a good idea for you to talk to him about it. That means you have to know what's going on."

"Caroline, I can't make him do or feel anything he doesn't want. Not even if we-" she cut herself off, knowing Katherine could potentially hear their conversation. "Damon has a mind of his own, just like everyone else. Just because whatever is going on with him doesn't agree with what you or Stefan thinks doesn't mean he needs any convincing. Especially from me."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Why are you defending him?"

"Tell me what I'm defending him from and I'll tell you why," Elena retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't hear any changing," Katherine sing-songed as one of the seamstresses knocked lightly on her door. The woman looked at Caroline and Elena disapprovingly. Silently, they decided it would be a good idea to do what they were supposed to be doing.

Elena softly ran her fingers over the casing of her dress. The knowledge that most brides chose ugly bridesmaid's dresses to make their own more noticeable, combined with the fact that she'd known her sister's vanity her entire life, didn't bode well for what she was going to look like in this dress. She knew the color scheme – teal and white with orange accents – and she also knew her sister's penchant for biased viewing. If it matched the color scheme it was in. It didn't really matter what her bridesmaids looked like in it.

She held her breath as she unzipped the casing. It revealed a mid-thigh length, satin teal dress with white lace over the bodice – almost like an elegant corset. The bust was ruched just the slightest bit, giving more volume to the area. Overall, it had a very summery vibe to it, which made sense seeing as the wedding was in Hawaii. It wasn't great, but it wasn't the worst thing she had ever seen in her life, that was for sure.

Elena quickly stripped down to her underwear and bra, pulled the dress on, and waited for assistance. She held the dress tightly against her and admired it. Even without the full fitting effect, it wasn't terrible. It brought out her dark eyes and olive skin in a surprisingly seductive way seeing as its intention was to be light and summery.

A light knock on the door startled her momentarily. She quickly recovered and went to open it. The woman outside smiled at her brightly, and Elena couldn't help but smile back. She loved it when people's happiness was infectious, it just made her feel better.

"I'm Sandra," the woman stated, flipping her long, black hair off her shoulder before offering her hand. Elena held the dress up with one hand and reached to take Sandra's with the other. "I see you've already gotten started. Let's see what zipping it up will do for you."

Elena stepped back and allowed the seamstress to enter. She stepped up onto the platform and allowed Sandra to pull the zipped up and button the buttons that cleverly hit the ugly metal. Elena let her arms drop and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress hugged her in all the right ways, and accented all her best assets. Even the design looked good. To Elena's surprise, Katherine had actually picked something that looked good. She made a mental note to thank her.

"It doesn't look like you need much work done," Sandra said, pulling at random places on the dress to check the fit. She hooked her fingers under Elena's armpits and pulled out, revealing just a bit of space that could be fixed easily. She folded the pieces back and pinned them, being careful to avoid Elena's skin. "Looks like we're good," she said cheerfully. "Come on out."

Elena followed Sandra out of the dressing room to find Caroline admiring herself in the three way mirror. Her dress was different. Instead of having the entire bodice covered in lace, it was just the waist. Nevertheless, it looked gorgeous on Caroline. That girl could pull off anything. It was ridiculous.

Caroline turned around and smiled. "Hot," she said. "Of course, what don't you look hot in?"

"Very funny, Care," Elena laughed, climbing up on the platform with her friend. "You're one to talk."

Caroline smoothed her hands over the satin of the dress. "I know," she said, her voice humorously serious.

"Make way for the bride!" Sandra proclaimed as the door to Katherine's dressing room opened. Elena slapped her hand over her mouth as she sister emerged in _the _dress. Not _the _dress, as in 'that's the one', but _the_ dress, as in _the _dress their mother got married in.

Tears suddenly sprung to her eyes as her eyes glided over the now strapless, lace A-line dress. She always thought that dress would be hers, but now that she saw it on her sister, she knew it had never been meant for her. This dress was Katherine's through and through. It matched the personality her mother had shared with her youngest daughter. It was perfect.

Elena let out a strangled sob before running forward and throwing her arms around her sister. "You look beautiful," she whispered.

Katherine took Elena by the shoulders and pushed her back an inch. "So you're not mad?" she asked, her voice concerned.

"No, of course not! How could I be? My baby sister is getting married!" Once the words were out of her mouth, the reality of them hit. The crazy part about this wasn't that her younger sister was getting married before her. The crazy part was that her sister – the same one she'd helped to raise after her parents died – was getting _married_.

"I thought maybe you would have been mad about the sleeves," Katherine said timidly. Elena blinked at her. She could count on one hand the number of times her sister had been timid. It was nice to know she cared though, and didn't just take the dress without another thought.

Elena shook her head. "No, no. You're getting married in Hawaii, sleeves wouldn't do much good. Besides, you kept the rest of it." She took the lace between her fingertips and closed her eyes, remembering what it felt like when she had had a mother, when she hadn't had to fight her battles alone. If her mother was still alive, she probably would have never come to New York, she would have never become a bartender with a degree in journalism, and she most certainly would not have solicited the help of a man who may or may not have an agenda to go along with his aid. Her stomach contracted as she attempted to keep it together. It had been ten years, but it still hurt like it was yesterday.

Katherine pressed her lips together and Elena knew she was trying just as hard as she was not to lose it. If there was one thing that had brought them together, it was the death of their parents. After it, they were nearly inseparable. It had taken everything in Elena, and all of Katherine's insistences that it was okay for her to make the move to New York. Jeremy, on the other hand, had just distanced himself. He got back into drugs and never climbed his way out until Bonnie, who was Elena's other best friend once upon a time. She talked to both of them a few times a month, but it was never like it was with Katherine who she talked to at least twice a day. Familiarity may have bred contempt, but no matter how much she could get annoyed, Elena loved her sister.

"Looks like I came at the wrong time," a familiar voice jolted both Elena and Katherine out of their grief induced trances. Elena turned quickly to see Damon leaning against the wall just inside the doors, his same infuriating smirk etched into his features. Elena blinked and she could have sworn she saw concern pass through his ice blue eyes. It was gone just as quick as it came, though, and Elena was forced to wonder if it was just a figment of her imagination.

Caroline cleared her throat, shocking Elena out of staring. She plastered a smile onto her face and crossed over to him. She intended to hug him, but he had other plans. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. He then kissed her softly and quickly on the lips before turning her around so he could put his arms around her from behind.

The shock on her face must've been evident because Caroline quickly began talking, probably hoping her words could distract from the flush in Elena's cheeks and the confusion in her eyes. "Doesn't Elena look hot?" she asked Damon, her eyes sliding over to Katherine to make sure she hadn't caught onto anything.

"Always," Damon said, his warm breath brushing over her exposed ear. Elena shuddered against him, and let her eyes flutter closed for a second. She told herself her reaction to his body against hers had been all show, but she wasn't exactly a good enough actress to fake the heat spreading through her nerves, and that scared her more than anything.

Elena squirmed from his grasp and turned around to face him. "I'm going to get changed. I'll meet you outside, okay?"

He nodded, his eyes searching hers. She knew he was concerned that what he had done had been too much. If she was being honest, it hadn't been. It was a completely normal thing for a boyfriend to do, but it had taken her by complete surprise. She could afford to be shocked like that this time with Katherine being distracted by all her dress stuff, but next time she might not be so lucky. She and Damon needed to talk everything through, and soon.

Sandra quickly helped Elena out of her dress, and then she changed back into the clothes she'd wore there. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment. With no makeup and her hair thrown into a messy, makeshift bun, she wasn't exactly feeling a long conversation with Damon. She'd much prefer to go home, actually get ready, and then start over. He wouldn't stand for it, though. If he had taken the time to come here in the middle of the morning, it had to be at least somewhat important.

When she walked out of the dressing room, both Caroline and Katherine had a few more fixes to be made, so they would be a little while. Elena said goodbye and she'd see them later and then quickly made her way to the exit. The lady from the front eyed her suspiciously after taking in Damon who was waiting outside, looking down at his phone.

Elena managed a smile before throwing herself out the door. The woman had terrified her, she wasn't going to lie. She felt like she was seeing straight into her lying soul. It wasn't a comfortable feeling.

"Finally," Damon said as she stopped in front of him, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm about to go celebrate my hundredth birthday."

Elena laughed sarcastically. "Wow, where did you go to comedian school?"

"Don't sass me, Gilbert," he said, pointing a finger intrusively at her. She swatted it away and pursed her lips.

"Why are you here?" she asked, getting straight to the point before he could manage to get her completely off topic like he usually did.

"I was at Stefan's and I saw the appointment written in Barbie's calendar. I needed to talk to you, so I figured it'd be a good time to act boyfriend-like."

"Yeah, well try not to surprise me like that next time," Elena snapped harder than she had originally meant to. She calmed her voice and spoke again. "I mean, we need to talk about what all this entails. How far are we going to let it go?"

He jerked his head to the side and back. "Come on," he said. "Let's go talk."

"Where?" Elena asked. "I was thinking right here was just fine."

"Boring," he said and then grabbed her hand. He tugged her down the street after him for a several feet before talking again. "You look hungry, we should grab a bite."

She jerked her hand from him and then quickly fell into step with him. As annoyed as she might have been with his antics, he was right about the hunger. She hadn't had anything to eat that day and her stomach was begging her to put food in it. Eating usually took a backseat to whatever was going on in her day. Last night she had worked, so dinner had been off the table. That afternoon she'd had to go with Caroline to research Hawaiian florists, so lunch hadn't happened. And then this morning had been wake up and go, so breakfast had just escaped her mind. She was starving, to say the least.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Damon, I don't have any money. I left my wallet in my apartment."

He looked over at her, his expression slightly amused. "I've got it, Elena."

"No, Damon-" she tried to protest only to be cut off by him.

"I've got it covered," he told her, pronouncing every syllable as if she couldn't understand when he spoke too quickly. "You can pay me back if it'll make you feel better," he finally relented after about a minute of her glaring at him and not paying any attention to where she was walking.

"Don't let me forget," she said, pointing a finger at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he muttered as they came to a little restaurant Elena had neither heard of nor seen before. Damon pulled the door open and waited for her to enter. She wanted to tell him he didn't have to open doors for her, but she decided to let it go.

The café was decorated in a black and white. It was probably the most modern looking place she'd ever seen – all angles and art with more angles. She looked around, her eyebrows canting inward just slightly. It was a cute place, but definitely not somewhere she'd ever place Damon. Though, it did look expensive, so maybe it was somewhere he'd hang out.

"You would take me somewhere expensive for lunch," she muttered under her breath as the hostess led them to a booth toward the back. Elena ran her hand over the black and white marbled table as she sat, wondering how much just this one booth set had cost.

Damon smirk as he looked down at his menu. "Some get accustomed to a certain way of living."

Elena rolled her eyes and looked down at her own menu. Her eyes bulged at just the lunch prices and she couldn't help but wonder what dinner here cost. She could barely afford her apartment and the minimum of groceries she bought for herself every week. She was pretty sure the food at this place cost more than her rent, too. He was rich, she got it. He didn't need to go rubbing it in her face.

Slamming her menu down, Elena glared at Damon who was studiously ignoring her. She snapped her fingers in front of his face, forcing him to look up at her. "It's twenty-five dollars for a freaking sandwich here," she hissed. "You know I can't afford to eat at places like this."

"Stop talking and figure out what you want to eat, Elena." Damon looked back down at his menu, but Elena knew he had already decided what he was getting – Damon Salvatore was nothing if not decisive. He just didn't want a standoff. She couldn't blame him, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry he chose to embarrass her like this.

When the waitress came, Damon ordered a burger and fries and Elena grudgingly ordered the club sandwich. Before she left, Elena caught the woman throw an appreciative glance in Damon's direction. Elena rolled her eyes. There was not one woman in this city who would not turn their head for him. Sometimes she liked to think she was immune, but most of the time she knew she was just another one of those women. He knew it too, and that's why it was so hard for her to trust him. Well, one of the contributing factors, that is.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Elena asked, swirling her straw in her water glass. She could feel his eyes on her, but she didn't want to meet them. They were devil eyes, she'd come to realize. They sucked in just about anyone who looked, and she didn't want that. Not now, not ever.

He shrugged. "This entire thing we're doing right now?"

"What about it?"

"We haven't exactly spent a lot of time getting to know each other over the past two years," Damon told her matter-of-factly. It was true. Elena had spent all that time attempting to avoid him, and when she failed, she kept it in the here and now. Damon was the last person on earth she had wanted to tell her story to, but now that they were in this together, it was all going to come out eventually. "I figured it'll be more convincing if I know anything about you."

"You know more about me than I know about you," Elena told him. She'd hold off on the life story as long as possible. It wasn't her favorite topic of conversation.

"You're from Virginia, you have a sister and a brother, and you hate black coffee. You are just such an open book, Elena." His voice was tainted with sarcasm by the end. He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her reveal more.

"What about you? I don't even know where you grew up. All I know is your brother is my best friend's husband, and you two fight a lot. Oh, and you have a dad who's subject somehow caused the fight last night."

Damon snapped his jaw shut. "Caroline told you that, didn't she?"

Elena nodded. "Yup."

"What else did she tell you?" he demanded, his voice deadly calm. Elena could tell he was fighting to keep himself under control. The fact that just a mention of his father could do this to him made her heart ache for him just a little. Whatever was going on, it had to be big for him to act like this.

"Nothing," Elena told him. "We came here before she got a chance to tell me anything." When he narrowed his eyes at her she amended, "Well, she did tell me to talk to you – to try and get you to understand. Understand what, I don't know. But I guess Stefan is really pissed off."

Damon laughed without humor. "Stefan's pissed off. All right. He hit me, and now he's the one upset. This is just like him."

"What's going on, Damon?" Elena asked him softly. "I know you probably don't want to tell me anything, but I think I should know. Especially if we're going to be. . . involved."

He looked down at the table. "You should know," he agreed unwittingly. "But if I tell you, you have to promise not to nag me about it like my brother and his wife."

"It's your life, Damon. It isn't my place to tell you what to do."

He looked at her in surprise, as if he'd never heard those words spoken to him in his entire life. Maybe he hadn't. "All right," he sighed as the waitress laid their food in front of them and quickly hurried away upon Damon's annoyed glare. "My dad's dying," he said simply with a roll of his eyes. "And Stefan wants me to go see him."

It was what Caroline had told her the night before, but hearing it from him was different. He was trying to brush it off, she could tell with the way he rolled his eyes as if it was no big deal. The slight hitch in his voice betrayed him, though. He cared. He was just being Damon about it. Pretending was his biggest defense against reality. That was the number one thing she'd learned about him. He could always distinguish between the two, but most of what he was, was an act. He didn't want to deal with whatever was going on inside, so he just put on his mask and hid it. Elena knew how that one went.

She reached across the table and grabbed his hand, more out of impulse than anything else. His eyes widened almost as wide as hers in shock, but neither of them pulled away. Instead, Elena squeezed his hand gently. "I'm sorry, Damon," she said.

"He's a dick," he said lowly. "The world will be a better place without him."

If it were anyone else, she could have said he didn't mean that, but this was Damon. He said what he meant and meant what he said. If those words came out of his mouth, it meant he was seriously. Elena's heart contracted as she thought about all the reasons he could possibly say that about his own father. None of them were pretty.

Katherine had been right, Damon was as broken as they come.

She ran her thumb in slow circles, trying to do whatever she could to comfort him before she brought him back to the night before. She had to know what he had said to deserve the hit. "What did you say last night?" she whispered, raising her eyes to meet his now hardened ones.

He pulled his hand out of hers forcibly, but started talking anyway. "I told him our father is going to burn in hell whether I go see him or not. He didn't like that much, I guess. Family is family to him. It doesn't matter what fucking messed up shit they did years ago if they're dying. Stefan saw firsthand what that man was capable of. The fact that he can even think of him as our father is disgusting."

Elena wanted to know more, but she wasn't about to push it. One more question and he was going to snap, she could see it in his eyes. So she just took a sip of her water and stared at her food.

After they finished eating – or rather, staring at their food – they exited the restaurant and just began walking. Things were silent for a while, Elena recovering from what she had just learned, Damon caught up in his own thoughts. It wasn't long, though, before Damon engaged her in a light conversation without a single mention of his father.

By the time they got back to her apartment building, Elena realized they had been walking for over three hours, just talking and avoiding the heavier subjects. She learned he grew up in the city, went to school at Columbia, partied way too hard, and eventually started working for an investment firm that wasn't his father's. His mom had died when he was fourteen and Stefan was eleven. He wouldn't talk about it any further though, and Elena couldn't hold it against him. When he'd asked about her parents, she'd just shaken her head, signaling both that they weren't alive, and that she didn't want to discuss it.

Spending time with Damon didn't turn out to be so bad. Maybe she could handle being friends with him. When he wasn't being a dick, he was actually likeable and Elena found that she had enjoyed her afternoon with him.

"Thank you, Damon," Elena said when they got to her door. "It was nice to get to know the man behind the snark."

He smirked for a second. "You should feel honored. Not many people get that privilege."

Elena gave him a small smile and went to unlock her door. Before she could get the key into the lock, his hand was on hers, pulling it away. She looked up at him to tell him he'd been so good, so why ruin it now, but the look on his face told her not to say a word.

"I know the incident at Caroline's party is the biggest reason you don't trust me. I get it, Elena, I do. But it wasn't what it looked like. I would never take advantage of you, or anyone else for that matter. It may seem like it sometimes, but that's not the kind of guy I am."

Elena blinked at him. "Why don't you tell me what happened then?"

"You should probably just ask Caroline," he said. He let her hand go, turned, and walked away. Elena stared after him in confusion.

With a deep breath, she unlocked her door and closed it behind her. She leaned against it for a moment, her mind working a million miles an hour. God, how she hated how hard Damon always made her think.

"Where have you been?" Katherine's voice intruded on her thoughts, making her jump. "You didn't even call."

Katherine was in the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to finish popping the popcorn she was making. Her hands were on her hips, her expression hard. In the moment, she reminded Elena so much of their mother it hurt. She swallowed and tried to banish the thought.

"Damon took me out to lunch. I guess we got distracted." she said, plopping herself down onto the couch and picking up the movies on the coffee table. _27 Dresses_, _The Wedding Planner_, and _The Wedding Date _were Katherine's choices. Elena swallowed at the last one. "I'm sensing a theme here."

Katherine retrieved the popcorn from the microwave and came to sit next to Elena on the couch. "You got distracted, or _distracted_?" she asked, ignoring the movie comment.

"Distracted," Elena said, giving her sister a disapproving look. "We just walked around the city and talked. It was nice."

"Boring," Katherine said, grabbing _The Wedding Date _and going to put it into the DVD player. "Next time you ditch me for your boyfriend, make sure you're _distracted_, okay? That's the only way I'm going to be able to forgive you."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

_A/N: A huge thank you to every who reviewed, alerted, and favorited this story (and of course the ones who just read and enjoy) You all are amazing! I almost forgot this note, so I'm going back and putting it in because all of the praise means so much to me and I want you all to know that! xoxo, Ana_

_P.S. Keep tuned for chapter 4, hopefully it'll give you all some much needed answers :) _


	4. Hear Me

**Chapter Four: Hear Me  
**_"If you're warm, then you can't relate to me."_

* * *

"_What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Caroline demanded, one hand on her hip, the other holding some fruity drink. "I don't recall inviting you."_

_ Damon smiled at her menacingly. "What kind of person would I be if I didn't come to my brother's girlfriend's birthday party which just so happens to be held at the bar I hang out in every night?"_

_ "A tolerable one," Caroline snapped, taking a rather large drink of whatever was in her hand. _

_ Damon held a hand mockingly over his heart. "Ouch."_

_ When she stuck out her tongue at him, he rolled his eyes and tried to walk away. Caroline grabbed his arm and he bit back the urge to snap something much less than polite at her. His brother was already angry with him, he didn't need to feed the flame. Even if it was one that was lit every ten seconds as it were. _

_ "What?" he snapped at her._

_ "See that girl over there?" she said, pointing toward a young woman who was handing a beer to Stefan. He would never admit it, but his breath hitched in his throat for a fraction of a second. She was beautiful. Her long, dark hair swung over her shoulders, her nose pinching at the top just a little as she laughed at something his brother said. He didn't know what, but there was something about her that made him want to go over there. That was about to get shut down, though. "Stay away from her," Caroline commanded, drawing his attention back. _

_ "Honey, you don't tell me what to do," Damon said, his eyes narrowing just slightly in annoyance. _

_ Caroline sneered. "Her name is Elena, and she's my friend. You will not go anywhere near her."_

_ "Who said I want to?" _

_ "History dictates," she snapped. "Last time you talked to one of my friends, you slept with her and then broke her heart. Elena doesn't need that, all right?"_

_ Damon rolled his eyes at her. The last time he had talked to one of Caroline's friends, the girl had completely thrown herself at him, told him she didn't want something serious, and then turned into the Hulk after he left in the middle of the night. He admitted that he probably should have at least waited until morning, but he had been under the impression it was going to be a one night stand, something he was innately good at. It had been a year and he still hadn't heard the end of it. _

_ "Run along to your boyfriend," he told her. "I'll leave your friend alone. There are plenty of other girls here." He flashed a smile at her and then walked away. _

_ His brother's girlfriend had hated him almost since the moment she met him. It wasn't the, 'I care about you so I hate you' kind. It was the 'I hate you, your personality, and everything you do' kind. As far as he could remember, he had never tried to do anything to personally offend her. It wasn't like he walked into dinner with her and his brother with the intention of pissing her off. It kind of just happened that way. _

_ Stefan said she wasn't used to the impulsive, I-do-whatever-I-want-because-I-can kind of personality, but Damon knew it was more than that. He knew Caroline thought he was a bad brother. His business with his brother had always been private, but Caroline had seemed to know quite a bit at that first dinner. Evidently, Stefan's side of the story didn't paint a very pretty picture of Damon. _

_ He was fine with it. He was used to being pegged as the bad brother, the impulsive one, the dangerous one. Even though he worked at the biggest investment firm in the city, people still looked at him like he was about to crash and burn. If he was anyone else, he'd probably see the same thing. Sometimes he worried himself. _

_ He leaned back on the bar and took in the party that had taken over his usual hangout. The crowd was so dense, it was hard to see anyone. Multi colored lasers swung around the dance floor, making it seem a lot more like a night club than a dive bar. Damon wondered how much money Stefan had spent on this. It was depressing how whipped his baby brother was. _

_ "Excuse me," a voice said over the music. He looked down to find a girl with dark brown hair and eyes to match looking at him expectantly. It took him a moment to realize it was the same Elena that Caroline had just been telling him to stay away from. _

_ He moved so she could order her drink. When she was finished she turned to him and looked at him curiously. "You're Stefan's brother," she observed. _

_ "Unfortunately," he muttered, taking a drink of bourbon. If he was a good guy, he would've walked away then. He would've listened to Caroline and stayed away from her. The look in her eyes made it impossible, though. It was combination of both happiness and despair, of freedom and captivity. She'd said all of three words to him and he was already too intrigued to walk away. _

_ "I know how that one goes," she said, leaning against the bar next to him. _

_ He was about to speak when Caroline suddenly appeared out of the crowd, a completely livid expression on her face. Damon groaned and then said nothing as she dragged Elena away with claims of cake and shot him a dirty look. _

_ The rest of the night was spent dancing with Caroline's former sorority sisters, studiously ignoring his brother, and drinking far too much for having to go in to work tomorrow. Eventually the party grew boring. The songs became repetitive, dancing became tiresome, and seeing Caroline and Stefan making out everywhere he turned was becoming irksome. _

_ Damon pushed his way out of the bar, sucking in the fresh air as he did. It had been so crowded inside, he'd barely been able to breath. He looked around at the vacant street, searching for a cab. Of course, there was none. Just his luck. He began walking and then stopped when he heard a woman's voice, high and pleading. _

_ "Stop," she begged. "Please, stop."_

_ Her voice was slurred, so he knew she was drunk. And so did whoever was earning the red light. He carefully walked over to the ally. What he saw was the last thing in the world he ever expected. Elena was fighting off her assaulter – or, at least trying. Her movements were slow and subdued from the alcohol, but she got a few hits in. That was when the man took a swing at her, clipping her square in the eye with his strong fist. _

_ "Hey!" Damon shouted, the sound of her quiet whimper pulling him out of shock. He ran forward and pulled the man off Elena. Without much thought, he punched the man as hard as he could, causing him to crumple to the ground. Elena was pressed against the brick wall, one hand to her eye, the other across her mouth. "Hey," he said gently. "We should get out of here."_

_ She nodded dazedly and separated herself from the brick. "I was fine," she mumbled, as he reached out to steady her as she wobbled. "I can handle myself."_

_ Damon smirked. Even when she was completely wasted she wanted to take care of herself. It was kind of endearing. "I think you're a little drunk for that."_

_ "I want to go home," she said as he began to lead her back into the bar. _

_ He nodded and looked around. Surprisingly there still weren't any cabs. Were the drivers on strike or something? It was a bar, the street should be littered with yellow methods of transportation. With a roll of his eyes he pulled out his phone. He'd have brought her back in there, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't lose her in the mass of people. _

_ "What could you possibly want?" Caroline shouted over the music as she picked up his call. _

_ Damon was about to speak, but then he felt hands smooth down his chest. He looked down with wide eyes to find Elena looking up at him, her eyes dulled with alcohol, but predatory nonetheless. She pulled on his collar and brushed her lips against him. His entire body froze. Was this girl he'd never met before seriously doing what he thought he was doing? He'd had her pegged for someone with more than enough restraint to go around. Alcohol certainly brought out an interesting side of people. _

_ Caroline shouted in one of his ears, "Damon, I do not have time for this," at the same time that Elena murmured, "I've never had a one night stand before," in the other. _

_ Elena reached out and took the phone from him. She held it to her ear and smiled lazily. "He's busy right now, Care." _

_ He heard Caroline scream something before Elena let the phone fall from her hand. It collided with the concrete, probably shattering upon impact. Damon couldn't bring himself to care, though. He was being dragged forward until her back collided with the building and every inch of him was pressed against her. In her heels she was the perfect height. Their lips collided easily, neither of them having to adjust position. _

_ Damon knew it was wrong, to let her kiss him when she was beyond wasted and he wasn't. She didn't have her reservations, he did. It wasn't fair and if Caroline found out, he'd be buried six feet under before he could say 'I'm sorry.' It was the thought of angering his brother's girlfriend any further that forced him to pull away, breathless and annoyed. _

_ "What are you doing?" she asked, running her hand down his chest, down his stomach, down to where she had complete power. "You saved my life, I want to repay you somehow."_

_ He tensed as she began to caress him through his jeans. He may not have been all that drunk, but even if he was sober she'd be hard to resist. A groan escaped his lips as her hand clumsily found its way back up and hooked behind his neck. She pulled him back against her and pressed her lips against his. With a flick of her tongue, she opened his mouth to her. His hand came up to press against the wall behind her, desperate to find a grip. If she was like this when she was drunk, he couldn't imagine what she'd be like if she was sober. _

_ Her leg slowly began moving up his until it was hooked around his waist, pulling him hard against her. Without his conscious permission, the hand that wasn't gripping the brick began caressing her through her thin top. She moaned into his mouth and tightened her grip possessively. God, she was perfect, but this wasn't right. _

_ Before he had a chance to pull away, a shriek sounded, pulling Damon from Elena as if she were on fire. Elena stumbled forward and took in the crowd that now surrounded them. Damon watched her eyes go from embarrassed to amused. Her arms shot into the air and she spun, showing off what she had just done. Damon watched her in awe. The girl was mesmerizing. Even with the threat of Caroline that was currently looming over his head, he couldn't take his eyes off her. _

_ A short brunette girl pushed through the crowd and grabbed Elena. She pulled her back through with her, probably into the bar to get some water into her. Damon watched until she disappeared. He was then forced to confront a livid Caroline and an extremely annoyed Stefan. The others began to filter back into the bar, leaving the three of them out there alone. _

_ "I can't believe you!" Caroline shrieked. "I told you to stay away from her, and what do I see? I see you taking advantage of her once she got drunk enough to give you a little attention. If you think for one second that she would have done this without being wasted, you're wrong."_

_ "She was a more than willing participant, Caroline," he snapped, tired of her assuming the worst in him every single time. _

_ "She's drunk, you're not. That doesn't count." Caroline's face was red, her arms crossed over her chest. She was restraining herself. If she hadn't been, he would have had a fist to the nose a long time ago. _

_ "I didn't come out here with the intention of making out with her, Caroline," he growled. _

_ As if he had heard their conversation, the man who had been harassing Elena earlier emerged from the alley. His hand was to the side of his head where Damon had hit him for maximum impact. His walking was staggered and uneven. He'd probably also hit his head on the concrete when he fell. Damon couldn't muster up any sympathy. _

_ Damon turned around to fully face the man. "Get out of here before I call the cops on your disgusting ass."_

_ "Where is she?" he asked._

_ "Where you can't touch her again," Damon told him, his voice shaking with anger. "Now leave before I make you." _

_ Sensing the seriousness in Damon's tone, the man turned and staggered down the street as fast as he could. Damon watched him to make sure he didn't turn around, and then he turned back to Caroline and his brother. _

_ "What the hell was that?" Stefan snapped. _

_ "It was nothing," Damon snapped back, trying to walk past Stefan and toward a busier street to find a cab. Stefan grabbed his arm as he passed, forcing Damon to look at him. "He's just a piece of scum, Stefan. Let it go." _

Damon laid in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, as the sun rose. He'd dreamt about that night before, but never in so much detail. It wasn't exactly something he liked to remember. It was what destroyed his shot at getting to know the mysterious Elena in any real sense. It also destroyed any chance of civility with Caroline.

In her mind, he had taken Elena out there with him and was planning to take her home. That was what she had told Elena. He was lucky she didn't tell her that he was the one to bruise her eye. It had taken two hours and a testimony from Stefan to convince her that he wouldn't ever do that. It also required a play by play of how he found the man from the alley harassing Elena, something he hadn't wanted to share.

Caroline knew about it, but she hadn't told Elena. All Elena thought was that he was disgusting for trying to take a drunk girl home when he himself was not. He wasn't about to tell her otherwise, that was up to the one who had lied to her. He was okay with being hated until then. Well, at least that's what he had thought before.

Now, he was certain she didn't hate him. He hadn't seen her since their lunch and subsequent walk through the city three weeks ago, but she had seemed to enjoy herself. She'd called a couple times to keep up the rouse, but she'd never mentioned the night they met. It meant she hadn't asked Caroline about it. Not that he had expected her to. It was his word against her best friend's. He wasn't an idiot. He knew she'd believe Caroline over him. He had just been hoping to give her pause.

Damon jolted as his phone rang. He rolled over and picked it up off the night stand. Elena's name popped up. He took the phone in his hand and answered it.

"Do you realize how early it is?" he groaned, looking at his clock which read six in the morning.

"Suck it up. I've been up all night trying to get everything together for this wedding," her voice was playful but tired. He felt bad for her. The girl loved her sleep. When she didn't get it, she was cranky as hell. He silently prayed she didn't want to do anything faux boyfriend-y today.

"You're the one who signed up for planning an entire wedding in four months," he reminded her, sitting up and throwing his legs over the side of his bed.

She groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Why did you call, Elena?" he asked, knowing she wasn't getting to the point.

"Oh, yeah. Right," she said. He could imagine her shaking her head and blinking her eyes to bring her back to what she needed to say. It was what she did when she realized she was distracted. "Elijah is in town," she told him. He had heard the name only a couple times, but he remembered it was Katherine's fiancé. "Caroline and Stefan invited us all to their place for dinner tonight."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Well, that ought to be fun."

"Of course it will be," she said with sarcasm. "Two out of three couples there will be real."

"Would you be mad if I baled?" he asked. Seeing his brother today wasn't exactly on his to do list. He knew Stefan was going to visit their father in the hospital today, and if he had the chance to talk to him, he would never hear the end of it.

"Yes," she said definitively.

With a groan, Damon stood up and stretched out his back. He considered going to his kitchen, pulling a bottle of scotch out and drinking until Elena would be embarrassed to be seen with him. If he was drunk, she surely wouldn't want him to be there with her sister and her fiancé.

"Do not get drunk," she warned as if she could read his mind. "Seriously, Damon. I know you and Stefan are still fighting, but I need you to be here tonight. We have two weeks until we're leaving for Maui and I would like for you to at least have a civilized, adult conversation with the most important people who are going to be there."

"Fine," Damon said, crossing to his bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror and examined the area that had been bruised by Stefan three weeks before. A repeat of the affair wasn't something he wanted, but with the conversation about his father that was sure to come, he knew another bruise was pending. And he wouldn't be the one to give it.

He'd spent years getting his anger under control. It used to be that anything he didn't agree with would result in a fight, but now he was slowly learning that knocking someone out didn't resolve anything – it just made it worse in the long run. Even if it felt damn good in the moment. "Thank you," she chirped. "Be at Stefan's at seven sharp."

"What would happen if I wasn't?" Damon challenged, turning away from the mirror and leaning on his counter.

"You don't want to know," Elena sing-songed. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "All right."

When Elena disconnected, Damon shook his head. He wasn't in a real relationship with her and he was already completely whipped. The thought made him shudder. Although, he supposed he always had been. Elena Gilbert was one of those girls who was ridiculously strong but made guys like him want to do things for her regardless. An enigma, he believed it was called.

After he pushed any semblance of Elena from his mind, he grabbed a stashed bottle of scotch from the bottom drawer of his dresser and started drinking.

It was five o' clock somewhere.

* * *

**A/N II: Honestly this chapter was really tough for me. Who knew I'd have such a problem writing Damon? I'm actually pretty nervous about it so I hope it lived up to expectations? Thank you all for reading! Once I'm out of school, I'll be concentrating on replying to all reviews, but right now I just don't have the time. But do know that I am reading them and I adore all the positive feedback! xoxo Ana**


	5. Sometime Around Midnight

**Chapter Five: Sometime Around Midnight**

"_And it starts_

_Sometime around midnight_

_Or at least that's when you lose yourself_

_For a minute or two."_

* * *

Elena sighed and checked her watch. Five past seven. She was absolutely, one hundred percent sure that she had told him to meet her at seven _sharp_. She was also absolutely, one hundred percent sure that he was intentionally being late. And if he showed up wasted, she'd find out whether or not she was capable of murder. He was not going to ruin this. She wouldn't let him.

She'd told Katherine she was going to wait for Damon in the lobby because she wanted to get a moment alone with him, but in reality, it had been because she needed to make sure he was in the right mindset for an evening with his brother who he hadn't spoken to in three weeks.

Stefan had been in a plastic bubble for the past three weeks. No one bothered him with drama, no one spoke of Damon. Caroline claimed he was busy with work and getting his father's arrangements worked out, but Elena knew better. If Stefan caught wind of Damon's name, his residual anger would probably drive him to Damon's apartment for a final showdown itself. Caroline thought it was just stress. Elena thought he needed to take a rather large dose of chill pills.

Of course, this would make for a wonderful evening full of family bonding and wedding talk. Nothing could _possibly _go wrong. This was the exact reason Elena needed Damon on his best behavior. Nobody wanted to see Damon versus Stefan part two. Especially not Katherine who was stressing over every detail – wedding and otherwise. If Elena didn't know better, she'd say her sister's hormones were a little out of whack.

Elena was about to give up waiting for him when he finally pushed through the front doors wearing a black suit with a black dress shirt underneath. Her eyebrows pressed upward. "You look like you're about to go to a funeral."

"Feels like it," he said, his eyes gliding over her tight, little red dress down to her strappy, black sandals. "Well, maybe not."

Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "You haven't been drinking, have you?" she asked cautiously. He didn't look like he had been, but she never knew with that man. He was a master functioning alcoholic.

"Not since six this morning," he replied, lacing his arm through hers. "Shall we?"

"You need serious help," Elena told him with a shake of her head, but moved toward the elevator with him anyway.

"Funny, that's exactly what my therapist told me yesterday," he joked as he pressed the 'up' button on the elevator.

Elena slapped him lightly on the chest. "Very funny, Damon."

He smirked at her. "I know."

When they reached Caroline and Stefan's apartment on the fifteenth floor, Elena pulled him back before he could lightly knock on the door. He looked at her questioningly, but before he could open his mouth to make a snarky comment, Elena cut him off with her finger on his lips. "Please, please, please just behave tonight. I know it's tough and that you don't get along with Stefan, but this isn't about you or him. It's about my little sister, okay? You can return to your regularly scheduled drama tomorrow."

Damon pulled her finger from his lips and took her face in his hands. "I promise, Elena. I will not start anything with my brother. You have my word."

His face was dangerously close to hers. She could feel his sweet, warm breath on her face and it was doing strange things to her heart. It took her a moment to realize she had been holding her breath. She let it out slowly and turned away from him to knock on the door.

It swung open almost immediately. Caroline stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. "About time," she said, pulling Elena inside and expecting Damon to follow. "We were starting to think you had just left."

Elena smiled. "Kat would not be happy if I did that."

"That would be an understatement," Caroline corrected. She lead Elena and Damon into the living room where Stefan was seated on the sofa that faced the larger one Katherine and Elijah were sitting on. He was leaned forward, apparently engaged in some very interesting conversation with Elijah. Katherine smiled appropriately, but Elena could tell she was bored out of her mind with whatever they were discussing.

When Katherine saw Elena, she bolted upward, startling both Stefan and Elijah in the process. Stefan turned around to see what the excitement was all about. Elena could see his eyes darken as he laid them on his brother. Tonight's no drama policy wasn't going to work out very well, Elena might as well have just called it then.

"Oh, thank God you're here!" Katherine chirped, nearly tripping over herself to give her sister a hug. "That was getting boring," she whispered and then turned to Elijah who had stood. "Elijah, you know my sister obviously. That's Damon, her boyfriend." Her eyes skated toward Damon who was drawn from a stare down with Stefan at the sound of his name.

Elijah reached forward and shook Damon's hand. "Careful," Elena said to Elijah. "He bites."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her as Elijah made his way around the couch and gave his future sister-in-law a tight hug. "It's been a while, Elena. Good to see you."

"You, too, Elijah," Elena said sincerely. It was good to see him. He was a really nice guy and fun to be around. Katherine picked a good one.

"Dinner's ready," Caroline called from the dining room. Katherine, Elijah, and Stefan all filed out of the living room, complaining about how hungry they were. That left Damon and Elena, who were both reluctant to sit at that table.

"We can go get some greasy fast food," Damon suggested, coming up behind her and whispering in her ear. Elena could feel her body shudder at the feeling of his body pressed against hers. The fact that he had such an effect on her was getting a little concerning.

"Best behavior," she reminded him.

She reached behind her and grabbed his hand so she could drag him into the dining room with her. Everyone was seated already. Caroline at the head of the table – of course she would demand that – Stefan at her right side, and Elijah and Katherine beside Stefan. That left the two spots on the other side of the table. Elena took the one in front of Stefan and Damon shot her an appreciative look.

"So, Elijah," Damon drawled, not even glancing at the food ready to be served in the middle of the table. "What do you do for a living?"

"Investment trading," Elijah replied, reaching for a dinner role at the same time Katherine did. He smiled at her and gave her the one he had grabbed. "Family business, really."

Elena, not really interested in business, turned to Caroline. "How is he?" she asked quietly, when she was sure Stefan was conversing with Katherine and paying no attention whatsoever to them. "Anything. . .new?"

Caroline shook her head. "He visited Giuseppe today and came back a little shaken, but he won't tell me what happened. I think it would just be a safe bet to keep Damon away from him. At least for tonight. Actually, maybe forever."

Elena sighed. "Probably."

Elena knew Damon well enough to know that the one thing in this world he treasured more than anything was his brother. He may not have acted like it sometimes, but he cared. The problem was that Stefan didn't always return the sentiment. If she had a quarter for every time Stefan said he wished Damon would just go away and never come back, she'd be rich.

She stole a quick glance at Damon who was nodding at whatever Elijah was telling him and took a deep breath. "I think he misses his brother, Caroline," she said, turning back to her friend. "I don't think he'd ever admit it, but I really think he does."

"Don't empathize with him, Elena. It's dangerous."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "I know what it feels like to miss a brother."

"Of course you do," Caroline allowed. "I just mean don't get emotionally involved with him. We talked about this. He isn't your boyfriend. You don't need to fight his battles."

Before Elena could reply, Damon's rage-filled voice interrupted. "_What did you just say_?"

Elena turned to him in surprise only to realize he hadn't been talking to her. He was standing now, glaring down at Elijah who didn't look the least bit perturbed by Damon's anger. He just looked up at the other man calmly and repeated what he had just said. "I said, your father's company is going to be in our hands after he sells it."

Damon's gaze came to rest on Stefan. "Giuseppe is selling the company, Stefan? And you didn't bother to tell me? For God's sake, I'm the CEO. Why didn't I know about this?"

"Well, maybe if you hadn't been such a dick about this entire thing I would've told you sooner. Or if you had gotten your stubborn ass over to visit Dad he would have told you himself." Stefan retorted, his voice calm.

Damon looked as if he was about to throw himself over the table at his brother. Before he had the chance, Elena stood up and placed a hand on his chest. "Stop, Damon. Please, stop." When his eyes met hers, they softened, but only a fraction. She could still see the pure rage behind the blue. "Let's go get some fresh air."

He shook his head as if to free his mind of fog and followed her out of the dining room and onto the balcony. Elena closed the glass doors behind them and turned to him. "You promised," she said softly.

"My father is selling my company and nobody thought to tell me, Elena. I have a right to be pissed."

"I know," Elena sighed. She sat on one of the patio chairs and looked up at him.

"So, why are you mad?" Damon asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm not mad," she told him. "You have a right to be angry."

He looked at her in confusion and then sat down on the other patio chair. He dropped his head into his hands and took a deep breath. "There's a part of me that wants to go kill him before the cancer gets the chance."

"You don't mean that, Damon." Elena bit down on her lip, wondering if he actually did. Evidently his father had done something to merit such hateful behavior from Damon, whether it was bad enough to kill for was the question.

Damon shrugged and looked up at her. "Of course, I do. However, prison isn't on my bucket list so I'll let karma take its course. It'd better hurry the hell up."

Elena took a deep breath and moved to kneel in front of him. The smooth stone flooring was cool on her knees, sending a small shiver through her frame. She put a gentle hand on his knee. "You have a right to feel that way, but trust me Damon, you might regret it someday. I'm not telling you to make amends, but at least make peace with whatever's happened. Otherwise it's just going to eat you up on the inside."

Damon blinked at her for a moment before taking his jacket off and draping it over Elena's exposed shoulders. He looked like he was about to say something, but the doors burst open and Stefan appeared. His face was stone, his hands clenching almost unnoticeably at his sides. Elena stood, and she could feel Damon do the same behind her.

"Excuse us, Elena," Stefan said through gritted teeth. "I need to talk to my brother."

"Only if you promise not to hit him again," Elena said, not budging.

Stefan took a deep breath. "I promise," he conceded.

Elena nodded and moved toward the French doors. Before she closed them behind her, she glanced back at Damon who was looking completely amused, opposite of how he was truly feeling, she knew.

"Elena, can you come to the kitchen?" Caroline called. Elena blinked and turned toward where her friend's voice was coming from. When she entered the kitchen, Caroline was leaned against the counter and Katherine and Elijah were nowhere to be seen.

"What's up, Care?" Elena asked cautiously.

"What were you guys talking about out there?"

"Nothing. He just has a lot of daddy issues," Elena told her with a small smile. "I kind of feel bad for him. Parents should never make you feel that way."

Caroline nodded sadly. "You have no idea."

Elena's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I think you should know something before they come back in here." Elena looked at her expectantly and Caroline took a deep breath before she continued. "Their dad. . . he was abusive when they were kids. Physically, emotionally. I think Damon took the brunt of it. Stefan claims he has scars and everything."

Elena felt her jaw drop a fraction. It had been what she'd expected, but somehow hearing it confirmed made it worse. "Oh, God."

"Yeah, so when they come back inside, Damon's probably not going to be any form of stable."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

Caroline pressed her lips together and then opened her mouth. As she did, the French doors leading out onto the balcony flew open and Damon stormed inside. He didn't even glance in their direction as he crossed the apartment, opened the front door, and slammed it shut behind him. Elena could only stare in confusion.

Stefan approached them and sighed. "He did not take that well."

"What did you expect?" Caroline said. "He doesn't grieve like normal people. He's going to go out, get drunk, and probably get someone killed in the process. I told you not to tell him like this."

"What was I supposed to do, Care? Wait until he isn't pissed at me? The funeral would be ten years passed by then."

Elena blinked at her friends. "What are you two talking about?"

Stefan turned to Elena. "My father died this morning," he said. "Damon didn't take the news so well."

Elena swallowed. "I should go find him," she said and tried to move out of the kitchen. Stefan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She stared at him in shock. "What are you doing?"

"Don't. He needs to be alone. He tends to. . .lash out in situations like this. Give him time."

Caroline nodded. "You don't want to see him when he's like this, Elena. I saw it once, when Giuseppe was diagnosed terminally. It wasn't pretty. He tried to throw a glass vase at me."

"No, he didn't," Stefan sighed. "But she's right. You don't want to see him like this."

Elena gaped at them. Were they really telling her to leave Damon Salvatore – one of the most unstable people she'd ever met – alone as he grieved one of the greatest losses of his life? It didn't matter if his father was a dick, or if he hated him. Death brought up feelings long buried. She knew first hand. No one should have to be alone for that.

"I'm not afraid of Damon," Elena told them as she forced her way past them and out of the kitchen. "I'm going to go find him and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Whatever Caroline had to say next, Elena didn't hear. She moved through the living room and into the foyer where she met Katherine and Elijah sneaking back in. They were both ruffled and guilty-looking. Elena would have asked, but she had a feeling she didn't want to know.

"I'm going to find Damon," she told Katherine. "I'll see you at home."

Then, she was out the door and waiting at the elevator. The lift must have been at a bottom floor because it was taking _forever. _Elena tapped her foot impatiently and crossed her arms over her body. She went through all the places he could have gone in her head. His apartment. A bar. Actually, that was about it. The most likely, however, was one of the hundreds of bars in New York City. She groaned.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Damon's number. After waiting through several rings, during which the elevator arrived and she had gotten on, it finally went to voicemail. Elena crinkled her nose in frustration. "Hey, it's me," she said as she walked off the elevator and into the lobby. "Listen, you shouldn't be alone. Call me and tell me where you are and we'll go do something that doesn't include liver poisoning."

Knowing she should say something else, but not knowing what, she just left it as the worst your-father-is-dead-let's-hang-out call in history. She hung up and realized she had an unread text from Caroline. She read it and tensed.

_This fake-boyfriend thing isn't looking so fake anymore._

* * *

"No, I checked his apartment nearly two hours ago," Elena said as she stood outside the sixth bar she'd visited in search of Damon. "I have no clue where he could have gone."

"Check his apartment again, Elena," Stefan instructed. "Don't leave until he opens the door. He's there, I promise. He likes to drink in solidarity when he's upset."

"You couldn't have told me that _before_ I went bar hopping minus the drinking?" Elena muttered, raising her hand to the taxi that was approaching her. She pulled the door open, slid in, and instructed the driver to Damon's apartment.

"I was hoping you'd just give up," Stefan replied honestly.

"Why do you hate him so much?" Elena asked, and was greeted by a snort from Caroline. Apparently she was on speaker phone now.

"It's a very long story. If you want to enable him, that's up to you."

Enable him. The man had just lost his father – the same father Stefan had just lost. The abusive father who fucked both of them up and probably had everything to do with the issues Damon had presented unknowingly for the past two years. It wasn't fair of Stefan to even think that – let alone say it. Elena fought the urge to snap at him.

"I'm going to be there for a friend," she told him, knowing Caroline had told her husband about the little arrangement. "I'll talk to you guys later."

She hung up and looked out the window. Three months ago she wouldn't have even considered Damon anything close to a friend. She would have regarded him as the annoying man slut with an ego the size of Mount Everest, but now things were changing. Since she'd started spending time with him and talking to him on a human level, she realized there was a man beneath the rouse. She was beginning to understand him, and it was happening fast. As much as the idea of knowing who Damon Salvatore really was scared her, she knew it wouldn't be fair if she just shut it out. He was doing a huge favor for her, the least she could do was get to know the him that no one else ever gave a chance.

When the cab pulled up in front of his building, Elena paid the driver and climbed out. She took a deep breath to settle herself and quickly made her way to the penthouse of the luxury apartment building. She now stood at his door, her fist ready to knock. Before she could, the door flew open and Damon appeared. His hair was a mess, he had no shirt on, and his pants were unbuckled and unbuttoned. Elena averted her eyes.

"Took you long enough," Damon said, his voice slurred. He reached for her wrist and pulled her into his apartment. With one hand he closed the door, and he pushed her against it with the other. There wasn't a single thing she could do before he was pressed against her, his lips dangerously close to hers. "Whoops."

"Seriously, Damon." she said as she squirmed beneath him. "Let me go. We aren't doing this."

"No?" he whispered roughly, letting his lips drift along hers softly. "Don't lie, Elena. You've wanted this since the moment we met."

Elena, despite her slightly shaking body, was able to fit her hand in the impossible tight space between them. She pressed on his chest and successfully pushed him away from her. He stumbled backward, looking unsurprised by her reaction.

"Typical Elena," he said, his voice annoyed. "Always pushing people away."

"This isn't about me, Damon," she snapped. "This is about you."

He stared at her for a moment before stepping toward her and smirking. "Do you really think I'm upset about the death of a man I despised?"

"You're drunk off your ass, so I'm going to go with yes." Elena crossed her arms over her chest and refused to let him go on with this denial. "I know what he did, Damon. Just like I know that death always brings up things long buried."

"What would you know about long buried?" he snapped, taking another step toward her. Elena held her ground, refusing to back down. "Perfect little Elena with her perfect little life. Looking down on the world from her pedestal." He reached out and drew her against him again. This time she didn't fight. "How about I help you off the damn thing."

He was about to kiss her when she drew her head back and whispered, "My parents died in a car accident when I was seventeen. I was driving. They died, and I didn't." She waited for him to release her before going on. "I didn't have a good relationship with my mother. We'd been putting all our differences behind us, but when she died all the sour feelings came rushing back and all I felt was guilt. And I guarantee that's exactly what you're feeling right now."

For once in his life, Damon Salvatore was speechless. The way he was looking at her made her slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't pity in his eyes, but guilt. She knew he was guilty for the way he had acted toward her, and he was guilty for the way he had acted toward his father, even if his father had deserved every last bit of it.

"I had – I had no idea," he said finally as he stared at her, seeing her in an all new light. "I'm sorry."

Elena shook her head. "Don't be."

Damon walked to the wall and slid down it until he was sitting with his legs sprawled out before him and his head tilted back. "The bastard deserved to die."

Elena sighed and slid down next to him. She looked at him for a moment and then – against her better judgment – took his hand. "You're allowed to care," she said. "I won't judge you if you do."

"Do you know what he did to us?" Damon asked, not expecting an answer. "If you knew, you would think I'm an idiot for caring. Sick, even."

"He was your father, Damon. I know you wish you didn't care because of all the things he did, but deep down a part of you keeps remembering that he did raise you. That means something."

Damon looked at her thoughtfully. "He's the reason I am who I am," he said slowly, as if that should draw her off.

Elena swallowed, her throat felt like it was on fire. This entire situation was too much. She was seeing more than she'd ever wanted to see. If she hadn't agreed to do this with Damon, she wouldn't even be here. She'd be back with Caroline and Stefan, or at home with a book. She'd be anywhere but here, talking about such personal things with him. Her eyes wouldn't be searching his face, looking for the answer he wanted to hear and battling it with the one he probably didn't. She wouldn't care. But she did agree to this. She did decide to get to know him, to be friends with him, knowing full well what he was capable of doing to the people who got close to him. She tried to remind herself of the night they met, but it was interrupted by his words a few weeks ago.

_You should probably just ask Caroline._

Suddenly the story she told herself all this time to stay away from him wasn't having the same effect. It was two years ago, after all. And besides the innuendos, he hadn't actually tried anything on her in all that time. Maybe – just maybe – she'd had him wrong all this time. Maybe everyone had.

"That's not a bad thing," she said finally and pretended she didn't notice when he looked at her in surprise. "I think you should give yourself more credit."

He snorted and leaned his head back onto the wall. "Tell that to my brother or his wife."

"I think they should give you more credit, too," Elena told him.

She jumped as her phone rang in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID. It was Caroline. "Hello?"

"Did you find him?" Stefan asked, his voice far away. She was on speaker again.

"Yeah, I'm with him right now," Elena told him as she stood up and moved toward the kitchen. She glanced back at Damon briefly. He hadn't moved. His head was still leaned against the wall, and his eyes were now closed.

"Is he okay?" Stefan asked.

"The guy is never okay," Caroline scoffed. Elena rolled her eyes at her friend's comment.

"I think so, Stefan," Elena said. "He just needs time."

"Okay. Thanks, Elena. My brother and I might not get along, but it's nice to know someone is there for him."

"Yeah, of course," Elena said, biting back her true sentiment about his behavior toward Damon. "I'll talk to you guys later."

"Hang on," Caroline said, her voice becoming clearer. She'd taken her off speaker phone. "I'm worried, Elena."

Elena blew an annoyed breath out and leaned against the kitchen counter. She glanced to her side and noticed a half empty bottle of bourbon. Without thinking, she took a swig and squeezed her eyes shut against the burn.

"Why are you worried, Care?" Elena asked when Caroline didn't continue.

"I think you're getting too involved with him."

"His dad just died, Caroline," Elena whispered so there was no chance of Damon hearing her. "Excuse me if I want to be there for a friend."

"You do remember what happened the first time you two met, don't you?" Caroline snapped.

Elena looked over to where Damon had been sitting and found that he was no longer there. He had probably gone into his bedroom, which gave Elena the freedom to say whatever she wanted. "Oh, right. Damon told me to ask you what _really _happened that night."

"Of course he would. He's just messing with you, Elena. Damon isn't a standup guy. You, of all people, should know that."

"You didn't answer my question."

Caroline sighed. "It happened just the way I told you."

Elena smiled humorlessly. "Really? Then why hasn't he tried anything with me since then? Surely your threats don't mean a lot to him seeing as he has never listened to you for a second. Obviously, getting into my pants is easy when I'm drunk, but I've been drunk around him a few times since then and I've never been taken advantage of. Seriously, Caroline. Tell me the truth."

"Fine," Caroline granted. She proceeded to tell the entire story. How Damon had found Elena in the alley, struggling against some guy, knocked him out, and tried to get her inside. And how Elena had been the one to jump Damon, not the other way around. When Caroline finished, Elena was fuming.

"Wow, Caroline. What else have you lied to me about? Huh? Just to keep me away from a guy you don't like? That's low. Even for you."

"I was just trying to protect you," Caroline tried to explain.

"So, I spent two years hating a guy for _helping _me? That's just great, Care. Excuse me while I go apologize to him for treating him like an animal this entire time. I think you should do the same."

"Why do you keep defending him?" Caroline said, her voice verging on a shriek. "He may not have done the things we told you, but that doesn't mean he's a good guy. That doesn't mean you should get involved with him."

"Damon's a friend," Elena told her. "And as his friend, I owe him an apology."

Before Caroline could get another word out, Elena hung up and shoved her phone into her pocket. She felt relieved, in a way, that what had happened between them hadn't been his fault. Even if she'd been getting over it, it was still reassuring to know exactly what had gone down.

"Damon?" she called out, emerging from the kitchen and looking around the apartment. She'd been here maybe three times in her entire life, and the sheer size of it never failed to amaze her. Her apartment was a fifth of the size of this place at most. Why a single guy with no attachments needed a place this big was beyond her.

"Back here," he called back from the hallway that lead to the bedrooms. Elena followed his voice and found him standing in the middle of his room. He had put some clothes on and was now doing something on his phone. When he looked up at her he forced a quick smile. "I'm surprised you're still here after your conversation with Blondie."

"Why would I leave?" Elena asked as she leaned against the door frame.

He shrugged. "Figured she would have brought up the night we met and you would have bolted."

Elena sighed. "I know what really happened."

Damon blinked in surprise. "So you asked her."

"Yeah. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I figured even if I had, you would have believed her. If you didn't want to like me, you didn't have to. There was no point in telling you something that wasn't going to change your mind."

"Why are you so sure it wouldn't change my mind?" Elena asked as she approached him.

"First impressions are important," was all he said.

Elena nodded. "Well, my mind's been changed."

Damon smirked and stepped closer to her, closing the gap between them. "What does that mean?"

"It means we can be friends," Elena said, her breath catching.

"I thought we were already friends."

"We can be real friends," Elena said, feeling her heartbeat jump as he pressed his hand against her lower back and pulled her against him for the third time that night. "The kind that trust each other."

"Sounds good," he said, his voice rough. She tilted her head up just a fraction and felt her lips brush against his. God, it felt good. "You should probably go." He released her and took a step back. Elena shook her head to clear it of whatever had been going on up there.

"Goodnight, Damon," Elena said and then rushed as quickly as possible out of his apartment. She closed the front door behind her and leaned against it, breathing hard. She'd almost kissed him. _She'd almost kissed him_. Damon. She'd almost kissed Damon. The reality hit her hard. After two years of ignoring the mutual attraction between them, she'd let herself feel it tonight. He may not have taken advantage of her, but she'd seen him with a long line of women. All of whom had had their hearts shattered in the worst ways by him. She didn't want to be one of those girls. She wouldn't be. All she had to do was keep her head on straight. All she had to do was remind herself that it was all for show. She'd be fine. She refused to lose herself in this.

* * *

**A/N: I know this was up really fast, but I got inspired! (Evidently I lied when I said this wouldn't be updated for another month) Anyway, only another chapter or two before we get to the wedding portion of this story (aka the fun part) Bear with me as I set all this up! xoxo Ana**


	6. The Funeral

**Chapter Six: The Funeral  
**_"At every occasion, I'll be ready for the funeral_**  
**_At every occasion, once more, it's called the funeral."_

* * *

"Morning," Elena said as she walked in the door. She dropped her keys in the dish next to it and dropped the bag of bagels she had just bought onto the table next to her sister. Katherine was currently bent over her catering menu, making sure it was perfect. There were two days until they left for Maui and Katherine was having a mental breakdown.

"Morning," Katherine muttered as she crossed something out in red pen. "You would think professionals would be able to get this right." She shook her head and put down the pen. "Are you going to the funeral later?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah," she said as she sat down and pulled a bagel out of the bag. She tore a piece off and ate it without bothering to toast it first. She wasn't really in the patient mood. "Wanna come?"

"Pass," Katherine said. "I'd much rather sit here in your apartment and argue with these damn Hawaiian caterers all day."

"I don't blame you. I'm just mentally preparing myself for all the Salvatore drama that's going to go down today."

"Speaking of," Katherine said, grabbing Elena's cell phone which she had forgotten when she had gone to get breakfast. "You have seven missed calls from Caroline and one from Damon."

Elena sighed and took her phone from her sister. "Caroline doesn't take hints very well." It had been a week since Elena had talked to Caroline. She was still as angry about the lie as she had been the night she had found out about it. Friends didn't do that to friends. It was sick and disgusting and Elena wasn't ready to talk about it.

"What'd she do?" Katherine asked, tilting her head to the side.

Elena pressed her lips together. She couldn't tell Katherine about it else she'd be telling her this entire thing with Damon was fake, but lying to her sister also wasn't her favorite past time. To appease both side, Elena chose to be as imprecise as possible. "I found out she's been lying to me about something really important for a long time."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Go vague or go home," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm sorry," Elena apologized as she leaned back in her chair and scrolled through her missed calls. How Caroline could call every five minutes and not get the point was completely beyond her. "I just really don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough. Let's talk about sleeping arrangements."

"Hang on," Elena said as her gaze rested on the missed call from Damon. He'd called about a half an hour ago. "I'm going to go call Damon back really fast and then we can talk about all this."

Katherine made a whipping sound. Elena stuck her tongue out at her and made her way into her bedroom. She sat on her bed and hit the callback button. The phone rang and rang and Elena began to worry if it was just going to go to voicemail. Finally, just as she was going to hang up, he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," Elena said. "Do you need me to pick you up from a bar?"

"Very funny," he deadpanned.

"You're the one who called me at six in the morning," Elena reminded him.

"What kind of bar is open at six in the morning?"

"Plenty," Elena replied as she laid back onto her pillows. "Anyway, why'd you call?"

"No reason," he said. Elena narrowed her eyes at his tone. It was light, which was strange considering his father's funeral was today. "Just wondering if you wanted to ditch my father's funeral and go do something else."

Elena rolled her eyes. This was the seventh attempt at getting her to let him skip the thing in a week. Normally, she wouldn't be pushy about something like this, but she knew Damon. He was like her. He needed closure, even if he wouldn't admit it. "Damon, I think you should drop it. I'm not going to go hang out while your father's funeral is going on."

"Fine, we don't have to do anything. You can stay at your apartment and I can stay at mine and we can just not go."

Elena shook her head. Maybe she should just give it up "You're a grown man, Damon. Do what you want."

"See, I usually would, but I seem to have this idea in my head that if I do, I won't be the safest man alive."

"And why would that be?" Elena asked, stifling a yawn. It was too early for this shit.

"Because you've been acting a whole hell of a lot like my brother and his wife this week, Elena. Being nagged by two people is enough, I don't really need it from you, too." The lightness in his voice had disappeared. Now, he was pissed. Elena cursed herself silently. He was right. She'd been doing exactly what Caroline and Stefan had been doing. She wasn't being fair, and now he was calling her out. She wondered why he had waited so long to do it.

"You're right," Elena sighed. "I'm sorry. I just – the funeral helped me when my parents died. I was projecting it onto you. If you don't want to go, we don't have to."

"Oh, I decided I was going days ago," he said. She could hear the smirk in his voice. "I just wanted to hear you apologize."

Elena wanted to smack him. "Careful, or I'm not going to be nice to you today."

"I'm so scared," he mocked jokingly. "I'll see you there."

"Yeah, okay. See you."

Elena hung up and stared at her ceiling. This past week she realized how easy friendship with him could be. It was like breathing. What she hadn't realized, however, was that he didn't take well to pushing, even from her. She seriously owed him.

She pushed up off her bed and walked back out to talk to Katherine about the wedding like she had promised. She glanced down at her phone which had begun to ring again. It was Caroline. Elena pressed her lips together and hit ignore.

"Okay," Katherine said as Elena took a seat in the chair across from her. She pulled out a flyer and placed it in front of Elena. "Closest family and friends get to stay in these. They're villas. Cute, right?"

Elena's eyebrows rose. Cute wasn't the term she would've used. The villa was huge, probably the size of a middle class home, but with all the upgrades of a high class one. There was a pool out back and beach access behind that. Hot tub, hammock, wet bar, everything.

"You expect me to pay for this?" Elena asked. "I work in a bar. I can barely afford the plane ticket as it is."

"Well, you'll be splitting it with Damon, Stefan, and Caroline for the week, so it shouldn't be too bad. If it is, just dip into your inheritance."

Elena blinked at her sister in shock. "One, Damon and I are sharing it with _Stefan _and _Caroline_? Have you not been paying attention? Two, you know I hate doing that." Sometimes she swore her sister was out to destroy her life.

"Caroline is your best friend since, like, birth. I'm sure you two will figure it out," Katherine said, taking the flyer back and admiring it.

"In two days? You think we can work out two years of lies in two days? Are you insane?" Elena shrieked. Her in the same house as Caroline, and Damon in the same house as Stefan was not going to make for a very enjoyable week. In fact, the chances that the place would be burnt down by the time they left was extremely high.

Katherine sighed, and Elena could see the nice bride rush out of her. She now looked a whole hell of a lot like the sister she'd known in high school – the conniving, manipulative little brat no one liked. "Elena, sweet, innocent, Elena. You think I care about your drama? You think any of this matters to me? I'm trying to do what's best for my wedding, and you are making that very difficult. So, why don't you leave me to the wedding planning and go worry about some stupid fight with Barbie. It's not like you've been of much help anyway."

"I planned the entire damn thing, Katherine," Elena said angrily. "It isn't my fault you changed it and put two couples who hate each other in the same villa."

"Get off your high horse, Elena," Katherine drawled as she sat back. "You aren't any better than Caroline. You've lied plenty in your lifetime. You lied to me for half our lives."

Elena stood abruptly. "That was different," she snapped. "It wasn't my truth to tell. Caroline had no excuse to lie to me like this. It was petty."

"Why don't you tell me what it is and I'll decide whether you have a right to be angry."

"Just like you, Katherine. I can't feel anything unless you approve it. Newsflash: you don't own me, nor are you old or mature enough to tell me how to feel." Elena shook her head and stepped backward toward her room. "Put us wherever you want to put us. You win."

Elena walked back into her room and slammed the door.

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Elena walked into the church where Giuseppe Salvatore's funeral service was being held. Her black dress swayed as she walked, her black heels soundless on the carpet. She spotted Damon, Stefan, and Caroline in the front row. They all looked uncomfortable to say the least. Elena guessed even a funeral wasn't enough to set their differences aside.

Elena took a deep breath and ignored Caroline's greeting as she went to sit next to Damon. She crossed her legs and crossed her arms over her stomach. The last funeral she had been at had been her parents'. She hadn't realized what a reminder this would be. From the corner of her eye, she saw Damon looking at her with concern – like she was the one who had just lost someone.

"You okay?" he asked lowly.

Elena looked at him and forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm more worried about you." The redirect. He'd see right through it.

His eyes narrowed. "What's bothering you?"

"I don't like funerals," Elena told him as she looked away. "They remind me of my parents."

He nodded and then forced her hand into his. She felt her heartbeat spike as his skin came into contact with hers. "We won't be here long," he said as his thumb traced unconscious circles on her hand. Jesus. If she hadn't been embarrassingly distracted by the contact, she would have asked what he meant, but the second it was out of his mouth it was forgotten.

Elena forced herself to breathe. "Um, there's nobody here that we need to fool," she whispered, squeezing his hand to signal what she meant.

He looked at her, amused. "Sorry," he said as he let go of her hand.

"Why are you in a good mood?" Elena asked suspiciously. In fact, he'd been in a good mood since the night he had found out his father was dead. It wasn't normal. But then again, when had Damon ever been normal?

He shrugged. "Would you rather me cry before my father's casket and beg for his everlasting forgiveness?"

Elena didn't dignify that with a response. She just stared ahead as the service began. It wasn't long, though, before she found herself zoning out and thinking about other things. Like, for example, the man to her right. They were the same thoughts that had been running through her head since she found out the truth. What would have happened if she hadn't been lied to? Would they have been real friends? Would they have been more? Would he have had to pretend to be her boyfriend for this wedding? Or would it have been honest?

She glanced over at him and saw his jaw tighten at whatever the Reverend was saying. Elena hadn't been listening, but she assumed he was saying Giuseppe was a good man – something that was typically said at funerals. It was wrong to speak ill of the dead, after all, even if they had been terrible human beings.

Elena felt Damon tense as the Reverend called Stefan up to say a few things about his father. She bit her lip nervously.

"My father," Stefan began, "was not a perfect man. He was sometimes angry, and sometimes impulsive, but none of that matters now. All that matters is the good he did for the world with his company, and with his vision for a good future for his sons. He raised my brother and I to be honest and fair, and I think those are two ideals we all can live by." Stefan paused, his gaze landing on Damon. "If my brother, Damon, would like to say anything. . ." He stepped away from the microphone, and looked directly at Damon. For the first time in a long time, his eyes didn't challenge.

Damon nodded and stood. His face was tight, completely different from how it had looked when Elena had walked in. She realized now, that he had been burying all of his emotion and waiting for the perfect time for it to explode. From the looks of it, this was that time. Elena gripped the pew beneath her and waited for fallout.

After Stefan had returned to his seat – wearing a very similar worried expression to Elena's – Damon approached the microphone and cleared his throat. "For those of you who knew my father, you probably know that he wasn't the most morally sound human in all of existence. He may have owned a green energy company, but hell, that means nothing anymore. Wait –" he said, as he took in the slightly shocked faces staring back at him. "I'm not supposed to say things like that am I? I'm supposed to talk about what a wonderful humanitarian he was, and what a resourceful father he was." Damon stopped for a moment, feigning thought. "I've got nothing. Sorry, folks. All I have for you is that Giuseppe Salvatore was a disgusting bastard with a happy fist and swollen liver." He leaned down into the microphone. "Good riddance."

Elena shot upward at the same time Stefan did. "Shit," she muttered under her breath as Damon walked hastily down the center aisle of the church. He didn't glance around at the enraged faces, he didn't wait for any reaction. He just kept walking until he pushed the double doors open and disappeared into the sunlight.

Before Elena could take a step forward, Stefan was running down the aisle. Caroline turned to Elena, looking desperate. They both knew what was going to go down if they went out there. They also knew they had to stop it or someone was going to get hurt.

Caroline sighed in defeat and ran after her husband, leaving Elena stunned in a church filled with the angry mutters of the people who actually had respected the man. They all looked at her, searching her face for an explanation as if she had one for them. Not knowing what else to do, Elena motioned to the Reverend to keep the service going and then ran down the aisle and out the double doors.

She blinked against the sunlight, her eyes frantically searching the yard until they came to rest on Stefan who had his fist in Damon's collar and Caroline, looking scared behind him. Stefan was saying something lowly, his knuckles nearly turning white. Elena took a step forward, but stopped when Caroline shook her head at her.

Damon shoved Stefan away roughly. "You have got to be kidding me," he growled loudly. "Now, you're telling me to calm down? The golden child is telling me to calm down?" His lips curled savagely. "That man never laid a finger on you. You want to know why, Stef? Because your older brother was _always _there to protect you. You aren't the one with the goddamn scars, and _you're _telling me to calm down?"

"This is neither the time, nor place to deal with your past with him, Damon. This is to grieve him, and move on. If you want to be angry, then good. Be angry. Just don't embarrass the entire family in front of everyone like you did in there."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Don't talk down to me, brother."

"I wouldn't have to if you didn't insist on acting like a child,_ brother_," Stefan countered, not backing down when Damon raised his fist. "What are you going to do? Hit me? Go ahead, Damon. Hit me. Be what you've feared becoming your entire life."

The air was thick with tension as Damon battled with himself. Elena watched him carefully, waiting for him to break. But he didn't. He dropped his fist in defeat and sighed. He turned slowly, as if just now sensing that Elena had been standing there the entire time. When his eyes met hers, they were repentant. Her lips parted, wondering why he was apologetic to her. Then, he turned away and walked to the curb. He whistled to a cab and it stopped. He pulled the door open, and Stefan got in after him. Elena stared as the cab pulled away and the Salvatores headed who knew where in the city.

"What just happened?" Elena asked almost to nobody. One second Damon was about to hit Stefan, and they next they got in a cab and left. Sure, she knew the brothers were bipolar when it came to their relationship, but she didn't know it was that extreme.

"They do that," Caroline answered, walking slowly toward her friend. "They have this weird telepathy or something."

Elena's eyes fell on Caroline and the confusion was immediately swept from them. All they held now was contempt. She valued honesty more than anything, and her best friend had kept something like this from her for two years. It wasn't something that could just be forgiven.

"I'm going to go home," Elena said, taking a step toward the street.

Caroline grabbed her arm. "Elena, please. We're best friends. You can't ignore me forever."

Elena turned on the other woman and crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't have any illusions about who Damon is. I know that his record is spotty and that he can be a dick. I know that letting myself fall for him would be an idiot move on my part. I know that if I did, he'd have complete power to shatter me. You weren't protecting me, Caroline. I can protect myself. You were being petty. What I know about him, what I have _seen_ him actually do is enough to keep me away."

Caroline shook her head. "Is it, Elena?"

Elena took a deep breath. "Yes, Caroline. It is."

"Except it's not, Elena. It's different with you, and I think you see that. He doesn't treat you like any of those other girls and I think that makes you think he cares about you. And I think you like that. You might just like the thought of him caring about you now, but somewhere along the way, you're going to start actually caring about him. That's where you're going to get hurt."

Elena blinked. It was true. Damon didn't treat her like he treated the other girls – like toys. He was there for her all the time. He was there for her that time when her car broke down in New Jersey. He was there with a bottle of tequila when she got dumped for the fiftieth time since he'd known her. And he was there when she needed to act like she had her life together for her family. She'd never thought anything of it. She'd always assumed he was groveling for her forgiveness for that night in his own way, but now that there was nothing to forgive, Elena was just confused.

"We're friends," Elena said, falling back on the only excuse she could think of. "Of course he cares about me."

Caroline smiled humorlessly. "You know what I mean."

Elena did know what she meant, but that didn't mean she had to take it. Besides, her best friend was taking this conversation way off course. "You know what, I think you're just trying to get me all confused so I start talking about how I feel about him, instead of how I feel about you right now."

Caroline threw her hands up in surrender. "I'm trying to get you to see the truth."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "Seriously? You're going to talk about the truth?"

"Yeah, Elena, I am. Because I don't think it matters what I told you. I think you were falling for him anyway. I think if you hated him as much as you let on, this entire arrangement wouldn't be happening in the first place. I think if you hated him you wouldn't have gone after him when he stormed out of that party. And you know what I really think?" When Elena didn't say anything, Caroline took a step forward and narrowed her eyes. "I think that if you had truly hated him before you found out what had actually happened that night, you wouldn't have been so eager to put yourself in the middle of his life so fast. It's like all you were doing was waiting for a reason for it to be okay."

"God, Caroline," Elena said, exasperated. "Why is this so important to you? Why is it so important to discuss whatever the hell is going on between me and Damon rather than something that is ruining our friendship?"

"I don't want you to get hurt, Elena. The way you were all over him at that party scared me a little. I didn't want him to have any power to hurt you."

Elena sighed. "That isn't your decision to make, Care."

"I know it isn't," Caroline said. "This is what I do. I mettle and I make decisions for other people and I do stupid things and I ruin relationships. I'm just sorry, okay?"

Elena jumped as the doors to the church opened and its occupants spilled out onto the front lawn. Most of them looked like they had just gotten out of a funeral, sad and tired. But one of them was still looking intensely angry. He walked toward Elena and Caroline deliberately, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Where's Damon?" he asked Elena.

"I don't know," Elena told him suspiciously. "If you don't mind me asking, who are you?"

"His uncle. Zach," he replied shortly. "I would really like to know where my nephew is, miss. We have some things we need to discuss about what happened in there."

Elena glanced at Caroline who was looking defiant. "He and Stefan left a few minutes ago. They didn't tell us where they were going."

"Well, when you see that poor excuse for a Salvatore, you tell him I have something to say," Zach sneered.

"Hey," Elena said. "There's no need to be rude."

"Damon just ruined my brother's funeral. There is plenty of reason to be rude, Miss Gilbert."

"How do you know my name?" Elena demanded.

"Not important," Zach said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Just tell him I need to speak with him and all will be well, all right?"

With that, Zach stalked off, leaving Elena and Caroline confused in his wake. Elena swallowed and turned back to Caroline.

"What the hell was that?" she asked.

"Zach," Caroline sighed. "He's basically Giuseppe's duplicate personality. He's always resented Damon because Damon got the company and he didn't. Some not very pleasant things have gone down between the two of them in the past. Zach ended up in the hospital the last time they met."

"What?" Elena said, shocked. "Damon put his uncle in the hospital?"

Caroline nodded. "The Salvatores have raging issues. All of them. Combine that with Damon's anger problems and you get a very broken nose and cheekbone."

"So, it's safe to say, I shouldn't tell Damon that his uncle wants to talk to him?"

"You can tell him. I'd just wait until we're in Hawaii."

Elena nodded and then sighed. As much as she wanted to skirt the subject and head home, she knew she couldn't. "Listen, Caroline. I know you're sorry and I know all you wanted was to protect me, but I just don't know if I can forgive you right now. You know how much I value honesty, and this was a huge breach of my trust."

"I know, Elena. Trust me, I regret it. Just be careful with Damon, okay? If this ever becomes more than it is right now, I don't see it ending well for either of you."

"I'll be fine, Care. I'm just going to go home and pack. See you at the airport, I guess."

With a sad smile, Elena turned and walked down the street. She felt bad, although she shouldn't have, for not forgiving Caroline. What else was she supposed to do? Just say it was okay that her best friend lied to her for two years? No. It wasn't okay. It didn't matter that Caroline had done it to protect her. It was still wrong and it still hurt.

As much as she wanted to go back to Caroline and tell her it was all okay and they could just go back to being best friends, she couldn't. This was a matter of self-respect, and she respected herself enough to allow herself to be angry about this. Caroline knew this. At least, she hoped she did. Elena wasn't the kind to just accept an apology and heal. She was someone who needed time, and sometimes, depending on what the incident was, a lot of it.

Twenty minutes later, Elena arrived at her apartment. She unlocked the door and walked in, expecting to be ambushed by her sister. Instead, she found a note on the table with one word on it. _Out. _Elena crumpled the piece of paper in her hand and tossed it back onto the table. Katherine was pissed, and she didn't even have a reason to be. Not that this was anything new. Katherine had been easily annoyed for her entire life. Elena gave props to Elijah, because spending a life with Katherine did not sound appealing.

Elena sighed and went to change out of her dress. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top and then spent ten minutes staring at her suitcase. She thought through everything she owned and just couldn't decide what she wanted to pack. Not that it mattered. She had all day tomorrow to pack. After today, all she wanted to do was lay on the couch and do nothing. Before she went out of her room to do just that, something caught her eye.

Her family scrapbook laid innocently on her dresser. Elena stared at it. She hadn't taken it out in years. It brought up too many things, too many memories. Katherine must have been looking at it. Although, she had no idea why. Katherine avoiding talking about their parents as much as possible. She'd had the chance to take the scrapbook, but had given it to Elena instead.

Against her better judgment, Elena took the book off her dresser and brought it out to the living room with her. She held her breath as she opened it, and let it out as her gaze fell on the first picture. Her mother holding her as a baby, a wide smile on her face. She looked tired, but happy. Elena felt her heart contract. She had taken that away. It had been her fault. If not for her, her parents would still be alive. If not for her, there wouldn't have been a Gilbert funeral. Her brother wouldn't have had to go to rehab. She might even still live in Mystic Falls. Hell, maybe she'd be married to her high school boyfriend Matt right now.

It took her a moment to realize she was crying. The tears slowly ran down her cheeks, leaving trails of regret. Elena wiped them away impatiently, but they just kept coming. It had been years since she'd cried like this about what happened ten years ago. It had been years since she'd allowed herself to feel the full weight of what had happened. She knew now was a terrible time, and that she had more important things to worry about, but instead of stopping, she just cried harder.

Her hand pressed against her stomach, her other gripped the couch next to her. She was such a mess. She couldn't even look at a picture without losing it. Ten years, and she still felt as destroyed and guilty as she had the day it happened. There was something very wrong with that – something very wrong with her inability to heal.

Her breath caught as someone knocked on her door. The sobs stopped, but the tears kept falling. She waited for whoever it was to go away, but another knock came slightly louder. With a groan, Elena stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes as well as she could. It didn't do much good, though. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and her mascara was still smeared beneath her eyes. She prayed her appearance would send whoever it was packing.

Elena pulled the door open and cursed silently. She should have known it would be him.

He looked her over, concern the dominating emotion in his bright blue eyes. "Elena."

She forced a smile and wiped one of her eyes with the pad her thumb. "What's up, Damon?"

"Doesn't matter," he said. "What's wrong?"

Elena shook her head. "Nothing. I'm fine. How are you? Where did you and Stefan go?"

"Don't do that, Elena," Damon sighed. "You can talk to me. You know that."

Caroline's words about him treating her differently surfaced in her mind. She knew it shouldn't affect how she regarded him, but it did. Especially now, if he was pretending, it could break her. She couldn't let him weasel his way into her currently very fragile heart. She had to protect herself.

"This isn't a good time, Damon," Elena said, stepping back into her apartment and preparing to shut the door. "I'll talk to you later."

Damon placed his hand on the door and pushed it back open. He forced himself inside, challenging her. Elena crossed her arms and looked away from him as he closed the door. She could feel the tears burning behind her eyes again. She would not let him see her break. She couldn't. She didn't want him to be there for her like this. She didn't want him to know about everything she was struggling with, she didn't want him to know how badly she needed someone. She didn't want him to hold her or to wipe her tears. She just wanted him to go.

He took her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "I'm not going to leave you like this."

"I can't do this with you right now," Elena whispered. "Please."

"Okay," he sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear and then pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

Just as he was about to release her, Elena grabbed his wrist, forcing him to stay. She cursed herself silently, feeling her heart beat at an unnatural speed. "Wait," she whispered. "The, uh, the funeral today. It brought up some memories. And then I found an old scrapbook. That's all."

Damon nodded and then wiped a new tear from her eyes with his finger.

"It's been ten years," she whispered hoarsely. "I shouldn't – I shouldn't still feel like this."

"It's okay," he told her as he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her shaking frame. "It's okay."

Then, Elena broke. Her sobs were the only sound that filled the apartment, her legs felt weak beneath her. And the only thing that was holding her up, was the arms of the man she had always tried to protect herself against. Her hands fisted in his t-shirt, her tears soaking the material. And all she felt was his hand stroking her back comfortingly.

And she all but forgot they were pretending.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, all! I'm back! After a long last month of school, I am finally able to sit back and write! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was really interesting to write because we really got to see how confused Elena is and how it kind of lead to her breaking down. And that entire scene right there is going to be the basis of a lot of her future struggles with him, so that'll be fun. Anyway, I should be replying to reviews now since I have the time, so go ahead and leave one! I love hearing from you guys! xoxo Ana **


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